April 26, 2010

Summer Hours

Now that is a good movie - though perhaps not the best choice for those facing a loss in the family, or related stresses. But this film by Olivier Assayas is yet another example of the sad fact that if...
Posted by armand at 09:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 18, 2010

The Ghost Writer

The last time I left a theater knowing it'd be a long time again before I saw a movie as good as the one I just watched? That'd be when I walked out of The Hurt Locker. The Ghost Writer...
Posted by armand at 05:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 09, 2010

An Education

Can you say "awards bait"? I finally watched Lone Scherfig's much-lauded film from last year, and no wonder it was so widely praised. Pretty people learn life lessons from only marginally less pretty people in a period piece with great...
Posted by armand at 12:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 24, 2010

Coco Avant Chanel

It's not going on the list of my favorite movies, but Audrey Tautou did a nice job. And I'm always pleased to see Emmanuelle Devos. There's something great behind her eyes - or is it her smile? One of these...
Posted by armand at 09:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 15, 2010

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

I have to say that seeing Alan Arkin leave Monica Bellucci for Blake Lively, and seeing Alan Arkin cuddling a naked Blake Lively, well, those were not things I anticipated laying eyes on this week. But it was nice to...
Posted by armand at 08:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 13, 2010

Alice

I didn't love Tim Burton's latest, but I thought it was largely likable. I wasn't a fan of the last 15 minutes or so, and pretty much everything about Anne Hathaway's performance was a disaster, but the new star was...
Posted by armand at 11:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

New York, I Love You

This was much worse than Zombieland. It makes Paris Je T'Aime (which of course included several legiltimately good bits) look like a flawless masterpiece by comparison. Basically, it is a dud on almost every level....
Posted by armand at 12:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Zombieland

That was disappointing. The ads were great, I heard good things, but I was less than impressed. Well, apart from the film's famous cameo. That was as good as advertised....
Posted by armand at 09:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 04, 2010

The September Issue

After watching this look at Vogue's most powerful I can say that I love Grace Coddington, and I still find Andre Leon Talley utterly ridiculous. This movie was a lot more fun than Valentino: The Last Emperor....
Posted by armand at 07:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 27, 2010

A Single Man

So I finally saw Tom Ford's first feature (will this be on a quiz in Bobbi Glass's class? well perhaps it should be), brought to us by the Weinsteins. Sadly, I wasn't blown away. Both the direction and the script,...
Posted by armand at 11:49 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 14, 2010

Moon

I kind of loved it. I'm really not sure what to say about it without giving the film's plot away. But I now understand the critical praise it's received. It succeeds across the board. The score, photography, direction, effects, art...
Posted by armand at 07:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 02, 2010

The Oscar Nominations 2010 - The Surprises

As usual most of the nominees were expected but ... The Blind Side for Best Picture? DIstrict 9 for screenplay? Peru's entry in Best Foreign Film? Maggie Gyllenhaal and Penelope Cruz for Best Supporting Actress? Those were some of the...
Posted by armand at 08:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 31, 2010

Gomorra

So I finally saw Matteo Garrone's much-lauded film about a variety of people caught up in the world of the Camorra, and I have to say this is one of those cases where near-universal praise seems warranted. It's a great...
Posted by armand at 10:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 23, 2010

9

2009 was a strong year for animated films. 9 had one of the best trailers of the year. Finally watched it this evening, and I can sum it up in one word - disappointing....
Posted by armand at 08:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 17, 2010

The 2009 Supporting Actress Blogathon

One of my favorite things in the world of blogging is StinkyLulu's analysis and support of strong Supporting Actress performances. Today she is hosting her annual blogathon in which readers submit appreciations of various performances from the year just past....
Posted by armand at 03:45 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 08, 2010

The Best in Art Direction, 2009

The guild nominates its favorites in film and television. Given my tendency to respond to aesthetics perhaps it's not a surprise that every one of my favorite network shows other than Gossip Girl and Lost is among the latter nominees....
Posted by armand at 02:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 03, 2010

Paranoid Park

After watching this 2007 Gus Van Sant film, shortly after seeing Up in the Air, I'm mostly thinking I really need to download some Elliott Smith. I'm also thinking really horrible things about Taylor Momsen, but that's not exactly new....
Posted by armand at 11:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 29, 2009

Armand's Top 10 Movies of 2009, Seen in 2009

Since it seems everyone and their Aunt Sally is making end of the year lists, I figured I'd throw one up here (see, we're not dead, we're just on breaks of varying lengths). By April my list might look very...
Posted by armand at 10:49 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 14, 2009

Oscar Precursors?

For those of you keeping your eye on the Oscar season, and considering what movies to take in over the holidays or put in your queue, this is the big week of critics awards. Yesterday we saw the American Film...
Posted by armand at 07:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 03, 2009

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

I recommend it. Quite a bit, actually. It's a smart, pretty, and enjoyable film. Definitely superior to Darjeeling in my view. The voice work is strong. The costumes and art direction are first-rate and imaginative. It's funny. There are some...
Posted by armand at 08:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 21, 2009

Il Divo

Last night I watched Paolo Sorrentino's film about long-time Italian politician Giulio Andreotti. I recommend it. It's both entertaining and thoughtful. It's beautifully made, well-edited, creative, and has a great score. It addresses leadership. It addresses responsibility and accountability. It...
Posted by armand at 10:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 09, 2009

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

50 minutes in, damn this is bad. Some interesting effects, but the stupidity of its screenplay, well, it's a giant pile of stupid. And while you'd be hard pressed to think it possible, somehow Sienna Miller is even worse than...
Posted by armand at 07:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 01, 2009

Disney's Campaign for Betty White

My love for Betty White is well known. She's been consistently funny for decades and is always a welcome addition to any tv show or movie. She's one of my favorite celebrities. That said, I have to roll my eyes...
Posted by armand at 02:00 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 28, 2009

Bright Star

I went to the movies with kikimonster this evening to see Jane Campion's latest, Bright Star. Honestly I think the praise for it is overdone. That's not to say it's not good. It's a good movie. I just don't get...
Posted by armand at 08:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 27, 2009

Creepy Movies

So it's Halloween week, and that's got me wondering what you think are the creepiest movies you've seen. Personally I'd put some De Palma on the list (Dressed to Kill and Body Double) along with lots of Lynch (Lost Highway,...
Posted by armand at 08:42 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

October 19, 2009

Where the Wild Things Are

Kiki might want to chime in here (I'm guessing with more negative comments), but personally I'd say it was a very good. Until Max meets the Wild Things I'd say it might be one of the best movies in recent...
Posted by armand at 09:09 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 16, 2009

Time-Wasters

This is worth six minutes of your time....
Posted by baltar at 12:11 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 22, 2009

The Best Best Picture Winners

Of course the movie that wins Best Picture isn't always the year's best picture. But it's an interesting set of films, and Kris Tapley has decided to present a list of his personal top 10 out of those winners. It's...
Posted by armand at 05:59 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 12, 2009

Colin Firth's Best Work Ever?

Tom Ford has made his first movie (trailer here). Yes, the Tom Ford that Mary Cherry believes should be the subject of high school science exams. The early reviews are superb - see The Times Online, Variety, and Kris Tapley....
Posted by armand at 02:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 06, 2009

Duplicity

Tony Gilroy has directed two movies. He was Oscar-nominated for his first, Michael Clayton, a film I loved. As to his second, well, even though it was positively reviewed it didn't receive the same sort of praise when it was...
Posted by armand at 03:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 03, 2009

Julia

This film is yet more evidence that Tilda Swinton can seemingly do no wrong. The movie is unpleasant or at least off-putting, but it's also well made and quite watchable in its way. And as Ebert notes, Tilda is amazing...
Posted by armand at 07:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 27, 2009

What Movies Best Capture the Awkwardness of the Early 20s?

Three good picks, even though I'd rate the Baumbach and Stillman films above The Graduate on that score....
Posted by armand at 11:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 25, 2009

Revolutionary Road

Did the pairing of the words Winslet and Mendes lead many of the country's film critics to take leave of their senses? Because having finally watched one of last year's most-lauded films my response is: "you've got to be f-ing...
Posted by armand at 08:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 17, 2009

(500) Days of Summer

It gets two big thumbs up from me. It might not quite be quite up to the level of Coraline or The Hurt Locker, but it's very good. It's a great movie about falling into a certain sort of love....
Posted by armand at 02:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 14, 2009

5 For the Day: Cary Grant

A tribute to the man I'd say was probably the greatest male movie star of the 20th century....
Posted by armand at 11:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 13, 2009

Movie Remake News of the Week

Maybe this isn't quite as bad as remaking Red Dawn, but Bryan Singer has signed on to direct a complete reimagining of Battlestar Galactica that has nothing to do with the recent reimagining that was enormously successful....
Posted by armand at 09:39 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 10, 2009

The Best of John Hughes

There are lots of lists being created following the death of the man who defined the 1980s for a lot of white teens. But to me Sixteen Candles stands clearly atop the rest of his work. Disagree?...
Posted by armand at 12:34 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

August 09, 2009

The Hurt Locker

I won't join the chorus proclaiming it the best film of the year, but it's good. Often very good. I won't be the least bit surprised to see it nominated for Best Picture, or to see nominations for Kathryn Bigelow...
Posted by armand at 05:27 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 30, 2009

Last Year at Marienbad

So I have now filled one of the most alarming holes in my knowledge of French cinema. I watched Alain Renais' 1961 classic Last Year at Marienbad. And that was both very impressive and interesting, though I can see how...
Posted by armand at 06:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 28, 2009

Cheri

Stephen Frears has made some exceptionally good movies. This is not one of those movies. Unless you want to look at pretty art nouveau set designs, revel in the pain of a relationship that is even worse than yours (bitter...
Posted by armand at 10:23 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 23, 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Okay I'm going against the norm (or a view held by several) - I liked it. I had some complaints. Like most of the movies, they didn't know how to end it. I mean the actual ending - though here...
Posted by armand at 09:23 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

July 09, 2009

Transformers 2

If you aren't going to see the movie, here is a brief FAQ so you can keep up with those that have. If you have seen the movie, the FAQ will explain what you have seen, since I know you...
Posted by baltar at 12:44 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 04, 2009

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Egads. There are utterly predictable movies that are still made within the lines of expectation in a well-constructed and amusing way. And then there are utterly predictable movies that are terrible, silly, stupid, pointless and just plain bad (not bad...
Posted by armand at 12:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 30, 2009

The Brothers Bloom

So tonight I finally saw Rian Johnson's follow-up to the terrific Brick. This time out he's got a cast of luminaries, a bigger budget, and a host of locations in Central and Eastern Europe, all used toward telling a con...
Posted by armand at 10:44 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The Top 10 "Cougars" in Movies

Fun list. I squealed a little (on the inside) with glee when I saw that #5 and #10 were remembered. But all in all it's a strong list, my considerable dislike for The Piano Teacher notwithstanding....
Posted by armand at 02:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 24, 2009

10 Best Picture Nominees!?!

The Oscars are going back to a system last used during World War II. You'd think this could lead to less obvious Best Picture winners since winning a competition among 10 nominees will presumably require fewer votes than winning among...
Posted by armand at 03:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 23, 2009

The Proposal

Sure it's hugely predictable, but given that Ryan Reynolds is so watchable this is a nice variation on a traditional theme. Actually that's a good word for this - nice. And for what it's worth, I like Reynolds as a...
Posted by armand at 10:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ebert on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Some say that Roger Ebert has reached a point in his career when he'll give a positive review to anything. Today we see that is clearly not true....
Posted by armand at 03:54 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 10, 2009

Let the Right One In

Not nearly as good as its reputation. But the cat scene - that was great....
Posted by armand at 10:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 02, 2009

Spring Breakdown

Just what I needed to break me out of my summer coma, if only for 85 minutes. A night of wine, chocolate, and an actually amusing comedy. It's about what happens when 3 nerdy (or at least not cool kid)...
Posted by armand at 11:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 31, 2009

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

So tonight I finally got around to seeing it. And let's just say it merits the lack of attention I gave it for a month. If I had to describe it in 1 word I'd go with - lame. Jackman's...
Posted by armand at 10:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 29, 2009

Nothing But the Truth

So I'm 24 minutes into the film inspired by, but not based on, the press stories outing Valerie Plame. On the one hand part of me is really into this. It's very well directed (by Rod Lurie) and already it's...
Posted by armand at 10:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 19, 2009

Lisa Schwarzbaum on Taking Woodstock

So writing from Cannes, EW's reporter doesn't like Ang Lee's latest: There's very little of the authentic music and even less of the authentic vibe in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock, a view of the legendary 1969 Woodstock Music and Art...
Posted by armand at 11:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 17, 2009

Seth Rogen

So I'm doing my usual graduation afternoon activity - watching a movie. In this case it's Pineapple Express. And I'm sort of hoping Seth Rogen's 15 minutes are up. Forcing out throaty yells and acting like you think you are...
Posted by armand at 02:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 10, 2009

State of Play (the Miniseries)

Apparently its similarities to the Affleck and Crowe movie are fewer than one might think. On the whole this is a newspaper story, and a very good one. Honestly, the series probably doesn't need to be as long as it...
Posted by armand at 05:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 04, 2009

Fred Kaplan's Most Important Movies About War and Diplomacy

He thinks Stephen Walt and Dan Drezner have, at best, a weird take on the movies you really need to see to understand IR....
Posted by armand at 10:47 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

May 03, 2009

Elegy

Damn that's a good movie. It's right up there with The Fall and I've Loved You So Long at the top of my list of films of 2008 (of course there are no doubt good ones I have yet to...
Posted by armand at 11:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 27, 2009

In Memory of My Father

I think I'll give this movie by Chris Jaymes a C. It's not bad, but in spirit it's like a lot of other things that are out there (think The Celebration, but funnier). To the extent it has a problem...
Posted by armand at 01:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 24, 2009

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Tom Twyker directing Ben Whishaw and Alan Rickman in a film that often looks great ... I'm going to give this a thumbs-up, right? Sadly, no. It's really watchable, no question about that. And to the extent it's telling the...
Posted by armand at 03:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 22, 2009

NPH/Whedon Goodness

More Dr. Horrible. Yes please: A feature-length Dr. Horrible sequel is a serious consideration but not definite. "We've talked about doing an actual studio film, and we've talked about doing an independent tiny little thing," Whedon said. "We've talked about...
Posted by binky at 06:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 19, 2009

Happy-Go-Lucky

So I finally got around to watching Mike Leigh's award-winner from 2008. And while I suppose it's a good movie on its own terms, I can't say I particularly enjoyed it. The lead character is annoying, and we aren't given...
Posted by armand at 06:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 11, 2009

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

I know there were some things Binky wanted to say about it, but she was going to wait to do that until I'd watched it. Well, now I've watched it. So Binky, what did you think?I liked it well enough....
Posted by armand at 06:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 06, 2009

The Last Days of Disco

Color me happy. I return to the States, surf around a little, and what do I see - the movie I've long most wanted to see released on dvd (well, a dvd you can actually get) is now on Hulu....
Posted by armand at 10:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 22, 2009

Vantage Point

Having finally seen it, I'm wondering - why did that get such poor reviews? It was silly of course, and the car chases were annoying in the way that many are these days (cut into so many tiny bits that...
Posted by armand at 09:44 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 21, 2009

I've Loved You So Long

I finally watched it tonight, and I'd say it's definitely in my top 5 films of 2008 - maybe my top 3. Kristin Scott Thomas is superb. If I was giving out the Oscar for 2008, I'd probably have handed...
Posted by armand at 10:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 16, 2009

Waltz With Bashir

So tonight I watched yet another movie (hey, it's Spring Break), last year's Oscar nominee from Israel. It's very good. I can see why some have argued that it's anti-Israeli. But at the same time there seems to be a...
Posted by armand at 11:40 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

High School Musical 3

So I finally caught up with the last installment of the Efron-era Wildcats. I found it to be the hardest to watch, by far. Why? Well, it is the most overwrought, overly sentimental, the longest, and it is just altogether...
Posted by armand at 05:08 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 15, 2009

Best Pictures From the Outside In Returns

They consider the winners from 1941 and 1994. And now I'm suddenly considering whether I should teach Forrest Gump in the fall. The fact that I loathe it so might make it an odd choice. But there sure is a...
Posted by armand at 08:42 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Last Chance Harvey

The movie was fine, but I left the theater once again wishing Emma Thompson would make 10 movies a year. I love her....
Posted by armand at 10:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 09, 2009

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

I'll be loaning this to Baltar and Binky tomorrow, so we'll see what they think. But personally I think giving it 1 star would be kind. Yeesh. That was terrible - and not in a fun way....
Posted by armand at 10:45 PM | Comments (27) | TrackBack

March 07, 2009

Watchmen

The Bloodless Crew went to see Watchmen this evening. I can't speak for the other two of us, but to my mind, I have to say that it was really, really good. I'm not sure about the commercial viability, as...
Posted by binky at 11:06 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

March 04, 2009

Reprise

So there are these friends: 20-something Norwegians from affluent families who like punk music and have relationship issues. And at one point or another they have yearned to write. It's consumed them. And that's affected their personal relationships in a...
Posted by armand at 10:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 22, 2009

The Oscars, 2009

So far so good I'd say. Hugh Jackman knows how to put on a show and it's nice to see the show changing things a bit. And congratulations to Penelope Cruz. Given her Almodovar past, and especially Volver, it's nice...
Posted by armand at 08:47 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The Reader

So since I'll be watching the Academy Awards in a few minutes I decided I should make an effort to see another nominee before the show, so I went to see The Reader this afternoon. I could nitpick it. So...
Posted by armand at 07:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 20, 2009

Oscar Predictions?

Does anyone want to go out on a limb and make some predictions? Over at Awards Daily there are tons of 'em if you are filling out a (for entertainment purposes only) betting form and trying to guess who will...
Posted by armand at 11:57 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 11, 2009

The 10 Most Romantic Movies of the Decade

There's a long thread growing on Awards Daily on this question. Personally, I tend to gravitate toward love gone wrong, love at a distance, passions disappointed kinds of movies. But hey, I still see romance in some movies. So what...
Posted by armand at 04:04 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

February 07, 2009

Coraline in 3-D

Saddling it with "practically perfect" is probably not doing it any favors - but it's a A movie, no doubt. I fear it'll be quite some time before I see another '09 release this good. It's certainly better than the...
Posted by armand at 09:36 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

So I had a BSG, Netflix, and paper-writing Friday night. And the movie didn't disappoint. It's far from complex, but it's good clean fun. Sure Kat Dennings and Michael Cera were appealing. But the supporting cast (including Rafi Gavron from...
Posted by armand at 09:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 01, 2009

Milk

My short review - see The Times of Harvey Milk instead. That documentary is first-rate in every way. It's wonderfully crafted, and does a vastly better job of getting across the politics of the time, Milk's impact, and the effect...
Posted by armand at 11:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 25, 2009

The Screen Actors Guild Handed Out Some Awards Tonight

But all I can remember is Kristin Scott Thomas looking hotter than possibly any woman has looked before in the history of planet Earth....
Posted by armand at 10:10 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Burn After Reading

I officially don't get it. It had a laugh or two. I always like J.K. Simmons, and Brad Pitt and Richard Jenkins were good. I think I have a basic grasp of what the Coens were going for. But how...
Posted by armand at 07:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 20, 2009

Horrible ideas

This is one of them. Ugh....
Posted by binky at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 13, 2009

Guild Love for Mamma Mia!

Some people have a sick sense of humor. I think that's the only possible explanation for the guild nominations for Mamma Mia! by the editors and the costume designers....
Posted by armand at 11:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Gran Torino - "Utterly Offensive"

Sounds like it's as deep and insightful as Crash. And so when I tell you that Gran Torino is one of the most offensive films this year, I'm of course referring to the saltiness of its dialogue. But only in...
Posted by armand at 12:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A Film Adaptation of The Informers

Will be playing at Sundance. Can it be worse than what was done to The Rules of Attraction?...
Posted by armand at 12:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 11, 2009

The Golden Globes

So I was listening to it more than watching it. What made a mark (in between Slumdog's expected string of prizes)? Sally Hawkins' and Colin Farrell's wins (even though Brendan Gleeson was better in In Bruges) and their sweet speeches,...
Posted by armand at 11:01 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Savage Grace

I think this film was unfairly maligned. I can see many people, lots and lots and lots of them, including film critics, not liking this. It's a disturbing story about unpleasant people. But that said, it's very well made. The...
Posted by armand at 05:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 08, 2009

The DGA Nominees

The best predictor of Best Picture nominees has announced its top 5 - the 5 movies that have appeared to be the favorites for the Best Picture nominations for some time now....
Posted by armand at 05:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 06, 2009

The Beautiful and the Damned

There's going to be another film adaptation of a Scott Fitzgerald novel. This one will star Keira K....
Posted by armand at 09:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Beautiful and the Damned

There's going to be another film adaptation of a Scott Fitzgerald novel. This one will star Keira K....
Posted by armand at 09:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Spirit

That is one bad movie. It's funny here and there, and there are certainly worse things in the world than looking at Eva Mendes, but I think giving it a C- grade would be generous.But hey, I got to see...
Posted by armand at 12:08 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 04, 2009

The 2008 Supporting Actresses Blogathon

Some of the most striking acting turns of 2008 are celebrated here - both those you'd expect and some you really wouldn't, but which are great nonetheless....
Posted by armand at 02:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 03, 2009

Well Clint Eastwood Does Want to Take Down the Bullies ...

One presumes he wouldn't favor taking things this far, but since he does seem to think thoughtless violence is the way to solve the problems of teenagers ......
Posted by armand at 10:20 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Synechdoche, NY

It's very well made. I merits the accolades it's gotten. It's an impressive achievement. But, that said, it's difficult to like.Though I will say that even though it may be hard to warm to, I thought the performances by Hoffman...
Posted by armand at 12:35 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

December 30, 2008

Hamlet II

If I had one complaint about nursing it would be that you don't get to make-out with your patients. The movie has a few funny lines and concepts (I loved the influence and wisdom of the Barthes-quoting tiny drama...
Posted by armand at 01:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 29, 2008

"Life Is Still Like a Box of Chocolates"

That's how a friend described The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I should say that her comments about it were favorable, but that line succinctly describes why I haven't been in a rush to see it....
Posted by armand at 03:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 28, 2008

A Christmas Tale

So does this story of three generations meeting up for the first time in many years, one of the best reviewed films of the season, live up to the hype? It's engrossing, and it's well acted by an impressive cast....
Posted by armand at 10:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 21, 2008

Casting the Next Film Adaptation of The Great Gatsby

So Baz Luhrmann is going to make another film of one of the 20th century's best-known novels. If you were going to cast it, who would you pick? Going off the top of my head, presuming we are sticking with...
Posted by armand at 12:59 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

December 15, 2008

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards for 2008

Check out the "Special Mention" awards at the bottom. Some of those are funny. And I guess there's one more reason why I need to finally catch Vicky Cristina Barcelona....
Posted by armand at 03:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 11, 2008

Ressner's Best Political Films of 2008

I've only seen #2 and #10 - but I'll be deeply impressed if any of the others is better than Recount (#2)....
Posted by armand at 11:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 07, 2008

Laura

Now that is a classic that stands the test of time. I hadn't watched the Otto Preminger film starring Clifton Webb, Dana Andrews, Vincent Price, Gene Tierney, and Judith Anderson in years. But it is as good as I remembered,...
Posted by armand at 04:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 02, 2008

Munich

Last night I finally got around to seeing Steven Speilberg's Munich. And I've got to say I can't imagine it would have been a Best Picture nominee without the Speilberg factor. I mean it was a perfectly respectable piece of...
Posted by armand at 01:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 29, 2008

Twilight - The Most Evil Movie of the Aughts?

Being a good sport I went to see Twilight last night. Given Ryan's words about its look, and what I'd heard about the author of the original text, I entered with low expectations. Nonetheless, nothing could have prepared me for...
Posted by armand at 11:49 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

November 25, 2008

If You Are Worried Your Expectations for Milk Might Be Too High ...

Dan Callahan's negative review may bring you back to Earth. From this review, the script sounds like a painful mess. And no matter how good he may be (Callahan suggests he has next to nothing to do), I'm still...
Posted by armand at 11:54 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

November 23, 2008

Quantum of Solace

Binky and I finally caught the latest Bond today. I give it a big thumbs up. The franchise is in good shape as far as I'm concerned....
Posted by armand at 04:51 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 12, 2008

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Yet another Apatow and friends film that I find to be "eh" entertainment. That crowd has hit on real situations and feelings occasionally. Superbad, far and away the best of their films, hit true feelings and relationships in ways both...
Posted by armand at 09:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 06, 2008

The Broken Hearts Club - Featuring Guys on the Edge of the Whedonverse

I hadn't watched The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy in years, until last night. Overall, I still found it to be a pleasant diversion, if not as good as I remembered (some of the plot points are too cliche...
Posted by armand at 12:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 05, 2008

The Brits Love for Meryl and ABBA

The amount of money Mamma Mia! is making continues to surprise. It's on track to become the #1 film ever in the UK (not controling for inflation)....
Posted by armand at 04:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 03, 2008

The 10 Best Directors Working in the English Language

Looking for something to take your mind off politics before 7pm tomorrow night? John Foote's put together his list of the 10 best directors working in the English language (so people like Pedro Almodovar aren't eligible). That's a very tough...
Posted by armand at 04:46 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 28, 2008

The Fall

I stayed up last night to watch a movie that had been sitting on my tv for quite some time. In retrospect, why did I wait so long to watch it? The Fall is stunning to see, and it's one...
Posted by armand at 05:56 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

October 21, 2008

10 Actors Who Need an Oscar Nomination

Noting that several famous and influential actors never get a nod Guy Lodge proposes a list of actors he thinks need one ASAP. I'll definitely agree with Huppert and Garcia Bernal, and sure, Maggie G. too (loved her so much...
Posted by armand at 02:00 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 15, 2008

The Life and Times of Harvey Milk

So last night I stayed up late to watch The Life and Times of Harvey Milk to get a bit of a history lesson before Milk is released. At least in the documentary (which was very well done - I'm...
Posted by armand at 03:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 30, 2008

I do not like him here or there...

I do not like him anywhere....
Posted by binky at 10:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 23, 2008

Rank the Coen Brothers

Want to fight about something other than politics? How about this? If you were going to rank all the Coens' movies, how would you do it? I still haven't seen 'em all, including the new one. But personally my top...
Posted by armand at 02:13 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

September 17, 2008

Robert Downey Jr.'s Top 10 Performances

Since I know we love all things Downey, fyi, there's a debate raging at The Movie Blog. I don't know how I'd ever rank those, but since I've always thought he was robbed of the 1992 Best Actor Oscar (a...
Posted by armand at 10:26 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

September 11, 2008

Snake Eyes?

So JA has a post up in honor of Brian De Palma's birthday. The man has made some great films. Whether lurid and off-kilter or serious he's shown flashed of genius. At one time or another I've loved Carrie, Carlito's...
Posted by armand at 02:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 10, 2008

The Trailer for The Soloist

On the one hand I love Robert Downey, Jr. On the other hand I hate this kind of movie. And that it's directed by the director of Atonement has me even more worried about being able to sit through it....
Posted by armand at 10:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 03, 2008

Lumumba

This film, the first feature by documentary film maker Raoul Peck, will likely appeal to those interested in African history, the post-colonial era, or nefarious dealing by the West to keep "The South" in its place - happily abetted by...
Posted by armand at 08:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 30, 2008

Tropic Thunder

So since neither of my Bloodless colleagues has yet to note it, I'll note that we all went to go see this star-studded comedy today. I think it lived up to its hype. It's a funny movie about the movie...
Posted by armand at 11:04 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

The Mystery of the Blue Train

So being both a fan of the Poirot books and the David Suchet tv series I thought I'd give this one of Suchet's a go. While he's been playing the part on and off for something like 15 years, this...
Posted by armand at 09:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 28, 2008

Number Two Should Be Number One

But cool, nonetheless. HT...
Posted by binky at 09:11 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 25, 2008

Joe Reid's Second Look at Southland Tales

Interesting. I think I should watch it again....
Posted by armand at 12:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 24, 2008

Brideshead Revisited, the Movie

So last night kikimonster and I went to go see Julian Jarrold's film adaptation of the class Waugh novel. I liked the book a great deal. This movie should not be taken as an accurate adaptation of the novel. Sadly,...
Posted by armand at 01:17 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 21, 2008

"Roles That Made Us Love Anna Faris"

I mean, really, how can you not love her?...
Posted by armand at 11:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 20, 2008

Stop-Loss

What can I say? On the one hand this Kimberly Pierce film (her first since Boys Don't Cry) is well-made from a technical standpoint. It's a "good movie", no question. On the other hand it's about as subtle as Roseanne...
Posted by armand at 11:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 19, 2008

To Cheer Ryan Up

A Veronica Mars movie....
Posted by armand at 01:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 15, 2008

The Deal

If you are a fan of Stephen Frears (and I am) and/or are interested in British politics (me too again), this 2003 film about the 1994 deal between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair is well worth your time. It clearly...
Posted by armand at 01:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 14, 2008

At The Warner This Week

For your information, tonight is the last night the downtown theater is showing The Fall. Tomorrow it'll start showing Brideshead Revisited and And When Did You Last See Your Father?...
Posted by armand at 10:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 10, 2008

Mamma Mia!

So kikimonster and I finally got around to seeing this disappointment last night. I'm perfectly willing to roll with inane scripts and silly pratfalls and jubliation for the sake of jubilation (including singing and dancing of course) as long as...
Posted by armand at 02:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 07, 2008

Knocked Up

Uh, that was it? I know some have bowed down before him since Freaks & Geeks, but I'm thinking that the whole Apatow-and-company craze is seriously out of hand. I mean I'm still interested in seeing Pineapple Express, but he's...
Posted by armand at 09:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 03, 2008

The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green

Since my Saturday night diversion bailed out at the last minute, I ended up watching another dvd last night. And I can finally say that my long string of movies that didn't meet my hopes or expectations has come to...
Posted by armand at 01:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 31, 2008

My Blueberry Nights

I should probably start out by saying that I really like Wong Kar Wai movies. I've never seen a bad one, and 2046 is one of my favorite films ever. So it is only in that context that the following...
Posted by armand at 10:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 26, 2008

The X-Files: I Want to Believe

There really aren't words for how bad this is. It's beyond forced. Fans of Russians, gays, or Catholic priests are likely to be pissed off. But on the list of crimes this movie commits, tiresomely playing on predictable stereotypes is...
Posted by armand at 10:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 25, 2008

Hellboy II

If you can't say anything nice ...It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good, and while it did look very pretty ... well, sometimes that's just not enough. This movie was lame. Binky and I liked the first Hellboy movie better....
Posted by armand at 10:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 22, 2008

Teles on Batman and Morality

If you haven't seen it yet, don't click on the link. But if you have ... This is some of the stuff that I thought was most interesting about the film - fitting it with today's world and issues. I...
Posted by armand at 11:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 21, 2008

The Dark Knight

Since it merits a thread, and since neither Binky nor Baltar has put one up, well, place any comments you'd like to make about it below. Quick thoughts from moi: it is indeed very good, Heath Ledger is excellent, but...
Posted by armand at 10:51 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 18, 2008

Movie Trivia

Which sitting member of the US Senate has appeared (credited) in one of this summers blockbuster action movies (though he didn't do damage to anyone)?...
Posted by baltar at 06:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 15, 2008

Attention Whedon Fans

After trying to watch it all morning - looks like the site was swamped by lots of loving clicks - I finally got to see the first part of the Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog. If you liked Once More, With...
Posted by binky at 03:46 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

The Other Boleyn Girl

Oh the humanity. One of our regular readers had told me it was terrible, but … wow. I had no idea that style of that movie could be that bad.The good? Hmmm - the guy who played the unfortunate Boleyn...
Posted by armand at 03:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 12, 2008

A Brief Review of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

George Lucas should never make movies again. Ever. Seriously. I'm not kidding....
Posted by baltar at 10:16 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 04, 2008

"Booze. Cocaine. Greed. Dismissive of everyone outside of his base."

Nathaniel at The Film Experience notes that Josh Brolin is a natural choice to play George W. Bush, given an earlier performance....
Posted by armand at 11:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 01, 2008

The Second Coming

So my latest Netflix rental was an ITV movie about a loser from Manchester being revealed as the Son of God - and the consequences that result from that. I rented it because it was created by Russell Davies (who...
Posted by armand at 10:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 29, 2008

We Need More Rita Skeeter

So don't ask me why this is occurring to me tonight since Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince doesn't come out until Thanksgiving, but I think one of the real missed opportunities of the films has been underutilizing Miranda Richardson....
Posted by armand at 08:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Definitely, Maybe and The Swimming Pool

Definitely don't. Since I saw the preview something like a dozen times, and since I like Reynolds, Weisz and Banks, I decided to give Definitely, Maybe a try. Bad idea. It gets points for getting the music of various parts...
Posted by armand at 02:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 28, 2008

Wanted

It's blowing far past its estimated box office, and I can see why. Is it a "good" movie? Eh, no, I suppose not really. But I had a great time watching it. It's fun and quick, light on plot, and...
Posted by armand at 05:26 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 25, 2008

The Cast of G.I. Joe (2009)

Okay, I had largely ignored the fact that a movie version of G.I. Joe was being made. I mean I knew it was, but figured it'd be a total mess devoid of any value. But the cast has suddenly put...
Posted by armand at 06:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

June 23, 2008

Control

So yesterday I finally got around to watching Anton Corbijn's Control, a film about the life of Ian Curtis, based on a book written by his widow. It's a great-looking film. Corbijn and everyone involved in the cinematography and photography...
Posted by armand at 10:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 18, 2008

The AFI's 10 Top 10 Lists

AFI took it upon themselves to list the top 10 films in 10 film genres. Predictably, some of those listed are highly questionable choices. Mystery though includes lots of great movies (hmm, I should really watch Laura again), so I...
Posted by armand at 01:13 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

June 17, 2008

Krull

I am quite sure that Morris and I saw this when we were in grade school. However, except for that weapon, I remember nothing about it. Others, it appears, know it by heart. If you miss the so bad they're...
Posted by armand at 07:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 16, 2008

Cassandra's Dream

All I can say is "ewwww". I finally watched this Woody Allen film yesterday, and it's yet more evidence that his work in the last 10 year features a ton more misses than it does hits. Which is all the...
Posted by armand at 10:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 08, 2008

June 03, 2008

Post-SATC: Warner's Takes Another Look at The Women

The remake makes me queasy given the brilliance of the original, and the limitations of Meg Ryan. But yeah, given the haul that Sex and the City brought in last weekend I'd say Warner's should definitely reconsider their strategy. But...
Posted by armand at 03:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 02, 2008

Recount

So last night I finally got around to seeing Recount, the film about the Florida 2000 ... disaster? Mess? Debacle? Take your pick. I give it two thumbs up, way up. Danny Strong (best known as Buffy's Jonathan) is really...
Posted by armand at 10:09 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 01, 2008

High School Musical 2

So a few weeks ago I finally watched High School Musical. The horror. Well, not entirely. As I told Ryan at the time, while I found it largely horrible, and reinforcing every norm Disney usually pushes down our society's collective...
Posted by armand at 05:03 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

May 30, 2008

Burton and Depp Do Sweeney Todd

So I finally got around to watching last fall's Sweeney Todd adaptation. I've never seen the play, so I can't compare it to that. And sure, if amazing singing performances were the goal you wouldn't cast Mr. Depp or Ms....
Posted by armand at 03:22 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Harvey Korman Has Died

... and Methodists! Ah, Hedley Lamarr is gone....
Posted by armand at 09:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 29, 2008

It's Madeline Kahn Appreciation Day!

StinkyLulu has organized this set of posts honoring one of the great actresses....
Posted by armand at 12:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 28, 2008

The Award Winners at Cannes

In case you, like me, were away for a long weekend - here are the winners. Benicio del Toro took Best Actor for Soderbergh's Che....
Posted by armand at 11:38 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 23, 2008

Wells on Synecdoche, New York

I was planning on seeing this later this year anyway. But after this description I am so seeing it: I've just emerged from the semi-nourishing, semi-tortured Fellini-esque Chinese box mindfuck-dreamscape that is Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York ......
Posted by armand at 09:47 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 09, 2008

Trauma Mommas

In honor of Mothers Day, "10 Horrifying Moms from Non-Horror Movies". Damn I love some of these characters....
Posted by armand at 02:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 06, 2008

"Gosford Park meets Paranoid Park"

The new Brideshead Revisited looks well worth seeing. Of course Emma Thompson in a great role is always worth seeing, and it's based on an excellent novel. But I've got to say that this trailer, while it looks a bit...
Posted by armand at 02:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

"Gosford Park meets Paranoid Park"

The new Brideshead Revisited looks well worth seeing. Of course Emma Thompson in a great role is always worth seeing, and it's based on an excellent novel. But I've got to say that this trailer, while it looks a bit...
Posted by armand at 02:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 05, 2008

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

So last night I got around to watching Schnabel's much lauded film from last year. I can get the accolades for the direction, and it is indeed a nice film, and definitely something anyone looking for a "triumph of the...
Posted by armand at 09:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 04, 2008

Iron Man

I'd only give the film a B/B-, but that's not bad for a summer blockbuster, and Robert Downey Jr.'s performance makes it well worth seeing. He's loads of fun, as one would expect. And since I was cooler on the...
Posted by armand at 06:09 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

April 28, 2008

The Lookout

So with the knowledge that I had to watch some of my NetFlix movies if I ever hoped to receive disc 1 of The Tudors from them, I watched this character study/crime drama last night. It's pretty much exactly what...
Posted by armand at 11:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 26, 2008

Smart People

So I went to see this Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker film today with she who I believe has chosen to go as kikimonster here at Bloodless Coup. I'd give it a thumbs up. I'd warn that it's about...
Posted by armand at 04:58 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

April 25, 2008

Shouldn't Every Day Be Madeleine Kahn Appreciation Day?

Yes it should. But at least StinkyLulu is organizing a special day to celebrate her - I am now looking forward to May 29th....
Posted by armand at 10:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 21, 2008

What Explains the Lack of Women in Film and Hollywood?

After noting some stunning numbers on how men dominant today's movies, Sasha Stone makes the case for one factor affecting this phenomenon - the lack of women in the fanboy universe....
Posted by armand at 01:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 15, 2008

Emma Thompson Turns 49

She's always been one of my favorites and probably has had as much of an effect on me getting into movies as much as I am as any actor. She's outstanding and always highly watchable. JA (love the nod to...
Posted by armand at 04:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 14, 2008

Mr. Brody Turns 35

And JA appropriately notes the occasion with pics of the talented and exceedingly attractive actor. I am such a fan....
Posted by armand at 01:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 11, 2008

In Bruges Is at The Warner

Fyi, the Spring movie I've most been wanting to see has finally made it to town....
Posted by armand at 10:52 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 03, 2008

Southland Tales

So last night the Coup gathered to watch Southland Tales, the post-nuclear-attack epic by the maker of Donnie Darko. I get that it was supposed to be a political satire, and I get that he's got a thing for time...
Posted by armand at 10:24 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 31, 2008

What 37 Looks Like

JA notes the birthdays of Ewan McGregor and Nathan Fillion....
Posted by armand at 02:29 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 24, 2008

The Screening Room's Top Ten Songs in Movies

I don't know what I'd say the Top 10 are, but this list features some I imagine a fair number of people would agree with. I think the listings of Needle in the Hay and Waterloo are great choices....
Posted by armand at 05:24 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 23, 2008

A Mighty Heart

I put off watching this Michael Winterbottom film for a long time. I figured it was going to be rough getting through it, given the subject matter. But actually it wasn't - and it's really quite good.I should say at...
Posted by armand at 02:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 18, 2008

JA's Love of Donnie Darko

Since a couple of you just watched it, thought I'd link to this list of 20 things to love about it. My favorites are definitely #19 and #20 - but there's a lot here to enjoy....
Posted by armand at 03:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Dan In Real Life

Ugh. Who was the brilliant exec who decided to include "In Real Life" in the title of the most contrived film I've seen in years? On top of the beyond stupid, predictable and irrititating script, the director was downright cruel...
Posted by armand at 10:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 12, 2008

For Those of You Considering A Jude Law Rental ...

Nathaniel R has his list of the top 10 performances of one of the planet's premiere DILFs. As should be the case since he was utterly brilliant in both, Law's work in Ripley and Huckabees tops the list. Damn those...
Posted by armand at 10:33 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 02, 2008

Margot at the Wedding

The worst film of 2007? I think I have to agree. Wretched doesn't begin to describe it....
Posted by armand at 11:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 27, 2008

Predicting the 2008 Oscar Nominees in Feb. 2008

If Sunday night has left you in the mood for more things Oscar, well Variety's Kris Tapley has come up with his first predictions for next year's Oscar nominees. There are definitely some movies to look forward to later this...
Posted by armand at 10:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 26, 2008

Hollywood Once Again Slaps West Virginia Across the Face

Moon passed this along to me. What's Julianne Moore's next movie going to be about? Why in-bred West Virginians of course. A movie about to be filmed in Pittsburgh is casting Gothic characters - including an albino-like girl and deformed...
Posted by armand at 12:07 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

February 25, 2008

Compare the Oscar Gowns to the Runway Designs

Kinda cool. Well, apart from the fact that the models are grossly emaciated. Not sure what I think of the gloves Sara Larson opted to skip. On the one hand I think they're pretty in an off-the-wall way, but then...
Posted by armand at 09:05 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

February 24, 2008

Thoughts on the Oscars - Winners and Fashion

As the thread from earlier notes, I was really happy with this year's winners. And maybe it's because of that that I caught myself looking around the theater more. And something struck me - do the honored actors of today...
Posted by armand at 11:56 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Preparing for Tonight's Oscar Telecast

So I'll be commenting on the show after it concludes. Are there any nominees you will be especially pulling for? I guess the winners I'd most like to see are Tilda Swinton, Marion Cotillard, a Visual Effects win for The...
Posted by armand at 03:38 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

79 Years of Best Picture Movie Posters

Binky just sent me this. It's kind of neat. Some of them are lame, but others are pretty interesting. From a quick glance I'd say my 5 favorites are The Sting, Ordinary People, Gone With the Wind, West Side Story,...
Posted by armand at 12:14 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack

February 23, 2008

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Yeesh, that was awful. There were some things I quite liked about the first one, but this one ... egads. I think I enjoyed The Forsaken more.And this is something Baltar should definitely stay away from. There was indeed a...
Posted by armand at 11:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Forsaken

Worst film I've seen in months? That "honor" now goes to this awful vampire movie I watched last night. Starring Kerr Smith, Johnathon Schaech, Brendan Fehr, Simon Rex and Giles's girlfriend Olivia, this lame low budgeter took itself waaaay too...
Posted by armand at 11:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 22, 2008

Vantage Point

Well damn, given the cast and the trailer (which has seemingly been playing for the last 10 months) I was pretty excited about going to see it - but the reviews are brutal. So I guess if I want to...
Posted by armand at 11:36 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 19, 2008

It's 5 Days Until the Oscars - Where Do the Races Stand?

Sasha Stone reviews the locks and the toss-ups....
Posted by armand at 02:07 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 12, 2008

The Film Experience's "We Can't Wait" for 2008

For those of you who've already caught up on the films of 2007 (note to self, see There Will Be Blood soon), Nathaniel and company are discussing the 15 films they are most looking forward to seeing in 2008. Coming...
Posted by armand at 11:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 10, 2008

The 2008 BAFTA Winners

What are essentially the UK's Oscars were awarded today. And any list of winners that prominently features the likes of Swinton, Cotillard and The Lives of Others is a list I'm going to generally like. But Atonement as Best Picture?...
Posted by armand at 06:33 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

February 05, 2008

Sunshine

Okay, did I miss something? Why did this get such middling reviews? It was directed by a well-liked director (Danny Boyle, who directed Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Millions). It had an attractive cast (Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh)....
Posted by armand at 04:59 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 03, 2008

An Interview With Kristin Scott Thomas

I've always been a fan. She's had an interesting life - not the one many would expect given the roles she normally plays on film. And interesting that Brenda Last was her favorite performance. I rather liked the performances in...
Posted by armand at 12:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 01, 2008

The Return of Baltar, Maybe (Drunk-Blogging Bad Movies)

So, I'm bacheloring this weekend. Thus, I can officially take the night off. Thus, in an attempt to do some more Baltar Movie Reviews, I'm drinking, eating dinner, and watching bad movies. We'll see how it goes. I let whimsy...
Posted by baltar at 06:39 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

January 28, 2008

The State of the Oscar Race

It's no surprise that Juno has made more money than any of the other Best Picture nominees. But I've got to say that given their respective subject matter, I do find it surprising that No Country for Old Men has...
Posted by armand at 10:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 27, 2008

The Ten

So I rented this dreck since it involved a lot of the same people who were in the quite funny Wet Hot American Summer. But this movie is no WHAS. Aside from a kind of funny, bitchy, insane turn by...
Posted by armand at 10:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 24, 2008

Sketches of Frank Gehry and A Good Year

This is just a quick post on two of my movie rentals from the last several days. I liked Sketches of Frank Gehry (a documentary about the famed architect directed by Sydney Pollack) a lot more than I thought I...
Posted by armand at 11:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 22, 2008

It's Oscar Nomination Tuesday

And the nominees are ... going to be announced in 2 minutes.Okay, so my immediate thoughts. First, Surf's Up!?! What the hell? I don't think I'd even really heard of that. Surfing penguins I'm guessing? Nonetheless it took the slot...
Posted by armand at 08:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 21, 2008

Atonement

So since little bro and I have both just seen it (and we disagree to a degree - shocking, I know), it seems to merit its own thread. So what did I think? The good - the costumes, the score,...
Posted by armand at 04:11 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

January 20, 2008

About Juno and Diablo Cody's Script

Diablo Cody seems a sure-fire bet to not only be nominated for a screenplay Oscar on Tuesday, but she'll probably also win the award. Is this merited? It appears there's a bit of a backlash against her work. And I...
Posted by armand at 03:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 19, 2008

Smiley Face

Blast, that wasn't nearly as funny as I hoped it would be. Well don't get me wrong. Anna Faris is always funny. John Krasinski is pretty good too. And Gregg Araki knows how to make a fun-looking film that pops....
Posted by armand at 11:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 18, 2008

The Year in Review from Edward Copeland and Josh R

If you are looking for things to add to your Netflix queue or muse over while you eat lunch, Edward Copeland has his 10 top movies of the year up. And if you are more theater oriented, Josh R has...
Posted by armand at 12:55 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

January 17, 2008

No End in Sight

So my latest Netflix rental was this documentary on the utter ineptitude of the Bush Administration and CPA in planning for and dealing with post-war Iraq. Yes, it deserves the acclaim it's received. And I'll be floored if it's not...
Posted by armand at 07:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 13, 2008

The Golden Globes

Well that was a weird set of awards. The television awards were strange, as were the winners of Best Picture Drama (Atonement), Best Picture Musical/Comedy (Sweeney Todd), and Best Director (Julian Schnabel). The movie acting honors were predictable (Day-Lewis, Bardem,...
Posted by armand at 09:35 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

No Country For Old Men

So I finally got around to watching the presumed frontrunner for Best Picture at a matinee today. Yes it's very good. Yes much of the audience groaned at its conclusion (which I don't get at all - it seemed a...
Posted by armand at 12:54 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

January 07, 2008

Love for the Supporting Actresses of 2007

Love for your favorites, and those you don't know yet - StinkyLulu's 2007 Supporting Actress Blogathon can be found here. There is, after all, much to be praised: Emily Mortimer, Tilda Swinton, Margo Martindale, Michelle Pfeffeir, Sigourney Weaver and more!...
Posted by armand at 05:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 03, 2008

Peter Berg Will Direct the Next Dune

So especially for Brandon, but also for you other Dune lovers out there - it's going to be filmed again! And as someone who can never get enough Dune, I'm looking forward to it. The next adaptation will be directed...
Posted by armand at 01:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 30, 2007

The Film Bitch Awards Begin

If you like movies, both appreciating them and laughing at them, you'll want to check out Nathaniel R's place over the next few days. He's started his year end "honors" with the 2007 Cinematic Hall of Shame. I agree with...
Posted by armand at 04:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Once

So my first Netflix of the weekend was this charmer. And I've got to say that while I liked it well enough, I think the accolades have been a bit extreme. It ends up being quite endearing and a nice...
Posted by armand at 01:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Juno: Taking the Anti-Choice Side in the Abortion Wars?

Yowza, talk about seeing what you want to see. From some reason I click on Ross Douthat's blog and this is what I see: And while Juno may not be moved by thoughts of her embryo's "hallowed rights," exactly, she...
Posted by armand at 11:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 29, 2007

Breaking and Entering

My Netflix movie of the week was this beauty by Anthony Minghella. I say "beauty" because it looks freakin' beautiful, pretty much all the time. The cast is quite attractive of course, but more than that the way he frames...
Posted by armand at 11:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 28, 2007

Juno and The Golden Compass

As I am now back from Christmas with the family I thought I'd post my thoughts on a couple of films I saw over the last week. First, as to Juno, believe the hype. Don't believe the premise - I...
Posted by armand at 11:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 20, 2007

The SAG Award Nominations

No Atonement? No Sweeney Todd? The acting branch of course has a major influence on the Oscars, so the SAG awards nominations might tell us something about who'll be nominated for the little gold men. And some supposed favorites are...
Posted by armand at 10:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 18, 2007

No Movie Clips at the Oscars?

So they are going to have a show honoring movies that they can't show? Ummm yeah, that's going to be ... different....
Posted by armand at 12:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 14, 2007

What the Oscars Are Really About

Nice leather bags....
Posted by armand at 11:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 13, 2007

The 2007 Golden Globe Nominations

Here. Yeah, everyone considers them to be a giant joke. And with those John Travolta and Julia Roberts nominations we see that yeah they are. But hey any group that choose to nominate Viggo and Eastern Promises, Nikki Blonsky, Marion...
Posted by armand at 11:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 12, 2007

Meet the Robinsons

So last night's Netflix was this very family-friendly Disney film about an orphan inventor. While it might well bore many people out of their mind, I will say it was very well-crafted and if this is the kind of thing...
Posted by armand at 01:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 06, 2007

Enchanted

Since I know Ryan and maybe Moon were interested in my thoughts on the latest Disney and Amy Adams extravaganza ... Honestly, I was disappointed. I thought it was going to be more of a satire of Disney classics. Instead,...
Posted by armand at 11:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 03, 2007

Because You All Hate Musicals

I thought it would be fun to link to List Universe's choices as the Top 10 Movie Musicals. What's 1 versus 6 or 9 doesn't seem remotely important, but what titles you would or wouldn't put on a Top 10...
Posted by armand at 11:19 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

December 02, 2007

Paprika

I have little to say about it, aside from the fact that I liked it, and I am surprised it wasn't nominated for Best Animated Film at the last Academy Award. Not sure what I think of the film's sexual...
Posted by armand at 01:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 30, 2007

The Golden Compass - Tomorrow Night in Granville

Fyi, the eagerly awaited (and controversial) The Golden Compass will be having a sneak-peak showing tomorrow night at the Hollywood theater at 7:10 pm....
Posted by armand at 12:09 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

November 28, 2007

Waitress

For my nightly Netflix I settled in with this well-reviewed film by the late Adrienne Shelley. No offense to Ms. Shelley, who I think steals the movie (along with Andy Griffith) from the more widely lauded Keri Russell, but I...
Posted by armand at 10:26 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Cardinal Rigali Doesn't Want You to See The Golden Compass

I was reading through this piece on the brouhaha some are making of the filming of The Golden Compass. It's a nice article that addresses the concerns of those who think it's anti-Church, those who fear the books are watered...
Posted by armand at 12:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 27, 2007

The Darjeeling Limited

Binky and I saw Wes Anderson's latest on Sunday afternoon. I worship Rushmore and greatly enjoy The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (I'm not so high on Bottle Rocket - it's not awful, I just don't...
Posted by armand at 02:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 19, 2007

The Queer Film Blog-a-Thon

Queering the Apparatus is hosting the Queer Film Blog-a-Thon today. I haven't read through all the links, but there are definitely some good ones already posted. Modern Fabulousity has good Netflix recommendations, Low Resolution lauds the best gay-acting straight people...
Posted by armand at 11:30 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 16, 2007

Beowulf in Digital 3D

First thought: Why would anyone see this movie not in 3D? The 3D thing is pretty fun.Second thought: Wow. This blows. What a lousy movie. And of course the gendered, sexual politics of it all is offensive, but the movie's...
Posted by armand at 11:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 15, 2007

Lars and the Real Girl

That was so terribly sweet. I was actually crying. Sure, it's sad too, but it's a movie filled with characters you want to thank or hug. And the acting is excellent. While I don't expect to see it I'd totally...
Posted by armand at 11:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 08, 2007

Does anyone still watch Amadeus?

The three of us drank a bottle of wine and watched Spinal Tap tonight. Baltar's comment was that this movie was released in 1984, and it's still hilarious, and really clever. None of us could even remember the Best Picture...
Posted by binky at 11:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Spider-Man III

Way to destroy a franchise. I read the bad reviews in May, and decided I'd wait for it to come out on dvd. But even being aware of the bad reviews I wasn't prepared for the awfulness that was Spider-Man...
Posted by armand at 11:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 05, 2007

Michael Clayton

I finally got around to seeing Michael Clayton last night (beware, at the moment the Warner is without heat). I liked it a lot. It's a taut thriller - about both a guy stuck in a difficult position in life,...
Posted by armand at 11:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 26, 2007

The Treatment

Hmmm, what to say about that movie? I don't really know. I guess if you are into Freudian ideas you might like it and get more out of it than I did (or maybe you wouldn't - as I'm not...
Posted by armand at 08:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 18, 2007

We Own the Night

Though I enjoyed James Gray's last film, The Yards, I wasn't expecting too much out of this one as its ad campaign made it look like a rather ordinarcy police/crime drama, fused with family tension (brother versus brother, and son...
Posted by armand at 10:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 15, 2007

Hissss!!!!!

Showings of Once More with Feeling featuring Rocky Horror-style audience participation have been killed by Fox. Not thinking about the new generations that could get turned on to buy seven seasons of DVDs, are they? More likely thinking anything they...
Posted by binky at 10:03 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 12, 2007

The TV Set

If you are looking for a comedy, or a film that deals with what goes on before a tv series hits the air, I can recommend Jake Kasdan's The TV Set. It's a very amusing tale of the rather sad...
Posted by armand at 11:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 09, 2007

Story Changes in the Film of The Golden Compass

Given how the The Golden Compass ends I was perplexed how they were going to turn it into a blockbuster that would make a fortune and attract millions of children. Now I know - they've chopped off that part of...
Posted by armand at 11:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 07, 2007

Eastern Promises

I think I speak for Binky as well in saying that it's really good. The story is rather straightforward, though it takes one or two (quite possibly unnecessary) turns. But it's quite well made, and the acting is really good....
Posted by armand at 09:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 01, 2007

Marion Cotillard

Last night Binky and I went to see La Vie En Rose. It won't surprise me in the slightest if the film's star gets a Best Actress nomination. But that said I'd say I enjoyed the film and found the...
Posted by armand at 09:12 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 30, 2007

Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle

Okay, so I could probably watch Jennifer Jason Leigh run errands for 2 hours and still enjoy watching her, and it's always fun to see a giant cast full of familiar faces, but this 1990's film about Mrs. Parker and...
Posted by armand at 11:21 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

September 27, 2007

Anthony Lane on The Kingdom

I'd been looking forward to The Kingdom. It had a pretty decent action trailer, and it's got an appealing cast. But after reading Anthony Lane's review my interest has cooled considerably. If Frank Capra had ever made a Rambo movie,...
Posted by armand at 05:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Smiley Face: Faris + Araki + Festival Success, But ...

First Look isn't going to give it a theatrical release? Damn, damn, damn. Tough break for the (considerable) talents involved, and those of us who like laughing at the big screen....
Posted by armand at 09:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 24, 2007

eXistenZ

So in anticipation of Eastern Promises (which I can't wait to see) I made this 1999 thriller my latest Netflix rental. And I'm happy to say that it was and is my favorite David Cronenberg movie - and by a...
Posted by armand at 10:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 21, 2007

The Southland Tales Trailer

Okay it doesn't come out until November, and I've no clue what it's about. But hey, it's the follow-up to Donnie Darko and the trailer is just ... wow. I don't know what the hell it is, but it's interesting...
Posted by armand at 11:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 19, 2007

The Valet

Since I missed seeing it at the Warner, I watched this French comedy tonight. Silly. Funny. Sweet. If you are looking for something with a good heart that'll make you laugh, this might well do the trick....
Posted by armand at 10:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 17, 2007

Best. Movie. Line. Ever.

Andrew Sullivan's quiz is up, if you want to go vote. There are five parts. And from the early voting it doesn't look like any of my favorites have a chance of winning....
Posted by armand at 09:34 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

September 13, 2007

The Lives of Others

Finally. For the first time in quite a while I really liked a movie I got from Netflix. In this case it was the winner of last year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language film. Weirdly, this is only the 2nd...
Posted by armand at 01:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 09, 2007

Shoot 'Em Up

Sure it's cartoonish, silly, perhaps even a touch ridiculous, and in a place or two downright stupid. Nonetheless it's still a funny and entertaining ride if you like to see, well, shoot 'em ups. Paul Giamatti obviously has great fun...
Posted by armand at 11:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 05, 2007

"I See a Kitten, Gasping for Air"

So hearing how much I loved Amanda Bynes in Hairspray (and I loved her soooooooooooo much), little bro suggested I check out She's The Man. Well, I watched that tonight and I've got to say - it's a trainwreck. The...
Posted by armand at 10:29 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 26, 2007

Broken English

I think you should avoid this movie. It is lame. It is star-studded (I presume because Zoe Cassavetes is the director), but it is still lame, and features one of Parker Posey's worst performances (it's painful). Happily Justin Theroux is...
Posted by armand at 07:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

McLovin

So I saw Superbad last night. Honestly, I don't think it merits the raves it's gotten. But then when it comes to the work of that team I also thought The 40 Year Old Virgin was overrated. That said, I...
Posted by armand at 09:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 23, 2007

Sort of Like Taking Jesus Out of the Christian Bible

I'd read that they were going to tone down the role of the Church in the film adaptation of The Golden Compass - but they are going to delete it entirely? Weitz revealed that New Line had, essentially, told him...
Posted by armand at 11:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 21, 2007

The 25 Best Non-English Language Films (Pre-2003)

Ever wanted to take part in a survey of the best non-English language films? Now you have the chance. It's an interesting enterprise. I mean the variety in the list of nominees is remarkable. It'll be interesting to see what...
Posted by armand at 01:31 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack

August 18, 2007

Deja Vu

Oh the humanity. I rented this cinematic atrocity because I was thinking, hey, action, thriller, mysterious, New Orleans ... good way to turn off my mind for a couple hours on weekend, right? Sadly instead of turning off my mind,...
Posted by armand at 08:39 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Inland Empire

So last night I once again entered a dreamy David Lynch world of crossed-worlds, or dreams, or narratives that bleed through each other, or however one prefers to describe it. However, while I love Mulholland Drive, this ... left me...
Posted by armand at 10:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 11, 2007

Today's Best. Movie. Line. Ever.

So I've been enjoying this series on Andrew Sullivan's site. Though really I didn't think any new lines he'd post would be the equal of two he did quite some time ago - the famous last line of Some Like...
Posted by armand at 02:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 08, 2007

Manhattan

In a recent New Yorker, David Denby described this Woody Allen classic as the best movie about selfishness ever made. Agree? Disagree?...
Posted by armand at 04:53 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 05, 2007

Renaissance

I got up kind of early today, it's been all gray and rainy, so I opted to watch a movie this morning - a rather unusual picture. Unusual how? Well this is how wikipedia describes it. Motion capture with 40...
Posted by armand at 01:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 04, 2007

Ken Levine's Favorite Comedy Screenplays

It wouldn't be my list, but there are some great choices on here, including the scripts that contain what I think are the two best lines Andrew Sullivan has featured in his Best Movie Line Ever feature....
Posted by armand at 11:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 30, 2007

Hairspray

I loved that movie. Loved it. The most fun I've had in a movie theater in quite a bit.Now I should say at the outset I never saw the original movie or the stage show so I can't compare it...
Posted by armand at 12:02 AM | Comments (18) | TrackBack

July 29, 2007

Take That Geena Davis

Geena Davis' win of the 1988 Best Supporting Actress Oscar was one of the first times it dawned on me that the Oscars really aren't about "the best". When I caught up with this fillm and performance (I forget when,...
Posted by armand at 07:43 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

The Prisoner: Or How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair

So I finally watched this documentary. If you are interested seeing the life of a man wrongly-accused and locked up by Americans in Iraq, it's a pretty well-constructed piece. I thought it was really interesting to include one of the...
Posted by armand at 06:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 22, 2007

Lindsay Sloane

I've been on the futon for much of the weekend, and from there there has been one clear bright spot in my weekend of too much sickliness - Lindsay Sloane. I'd known her as Big Red in Bring It On....
Posted by armand at 04:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 13, 2007

Ratatouille

Wow. That was so good. Quite possibly the best Pixar film yet (well, this or The Incredibles). Lives up to the hype. The story is good, it looks great, and there are several marvelous setpieces. You should definitely check this...
Posted by armand at 12:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 09, 2007

Paris, Je T'aime

Greetings. I am back from Portland, so I will be back to blogging for the next few days. I don't know when Binky and Baltar will be posting again, but hopefully that'll be sooner rather than later - though it...
Posted by armand at 12:29 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

June 25, 2007

If .... and Away From Her

Tonight I can recommend two films. My latest from Netflix was the newly released Criterion Collection edition of Lindsay Andreson's anti-establishment, public school tale If .... . It's one of those things that I've heard about for years, but never...
Posted by armand at 11:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 14, 2007

Motherf*cking Walkoff

Over at Low Resolution there's a competition going on. 64 top actors are being placed in a single-elimination tournament to determine who's the best. One or more of the categories they are being judged on might seem kind of odd...
Posted by armand at 12:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 04, 2007

Hostel II - Dave Poland Finds It Beyond the Pale

It's so obscene that he wouldn't shake Eli Roth's hand, and wonders if he's a little less than human. I've got to say that the film does make Roth sound like one disgustingly twisted man....
Posted by armand at 01:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 02, 2007

Who's Going to Want to Watch These Women?

Egads - there are bad remake ideas, and then there are BAD remake ideas ... The Women was one the great Hollywood classics of the late 1930's. An adaptation of Clare Boothe Luce's play, it was at once a showpiece...
Posted by armand at 10:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 31, 2007

My Mom on Pirates #3

Wow. My mom is the sort who can find at least something to like in most movies. And apparently she hated the latest Pirates installment. If a film-making team loses even her ... I'd say my likelihood of going to...
Posted by armand at 10:13 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

May 27, 2007

Shrek the Third

Binky and I suffered so you don't have to. Since it's the third, 3 reactions: 1) Amazing animation - just astonishing and impressive work, 2) Lame script - and that's being kind, 3) Not nearly enough Puss and Donkey. And...
Posted by armand at 05:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 15, 2007

Hot Fuzz

By the power of Greyskull ... I would have thought one of the others here at the Coup would have written about it by now, but since they haven't I'll simply note that it's funny. Really funny. Could they have...
Posted by armand at 03:38 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

April 30, 2007

Half Nelson

So last night I finally sat down and watched Half Nelson (it had been sitting on top of my tv for most of the month). What a great and affecting little movie. I can definitely see why everyone was singing...
Posted by armand at 07:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 29, 2007

Polley Discusses Away From Her

I've already been looking forward to Away From Her for months. But this paragraph in a profile of Polley makes me even more enthusiastic about seeing the film (which is adapted from an Alice Munro story, and stars Julie Christie):...
Posted by armand at 04:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 24, 2007

Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix Trailer

I can't wait! Looks like it'll be the darkest Potter film by far - which is exactly as it should be....
Posted by armand at 03:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 23, 2007

Your Top 5 Top of the Head Super Villains

I'm not sure who would make my list, but I think it's pretty damn fun (and sure, understandable) that Faye Dunaway's Selena is on JA's list.Who would be on my list? Well definitely Catwoman and the Joker, and probably Palpatine....
Posted by armand at 09:00 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

April 21, 2007

The History Boys

So last night I watched the film adaptation of The History Boys. Now I know it's quite a bit different than the stage play, but I'm still a little taken aback and wondering what all the fuss was about. The...
Posted by armand at 10:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 15, 2007

Batman Begins, Still Excellent

So this weekend I decided to watch Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins again. It definitely holds up. I'd say it's one of the best movies of its sort in the last several years. Of course Christian Bale is superb in the...
Posted by armand at 08:44 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

April 08, 2007

Power of the Dark Crystal?!?

Am I the only person who didn't know this was being made? Talk about truly diving back into the heart of the 1980's....
Posted by armand at 10:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 07, 2007

Good Friday With The Good Sheperd

Sadly Armand's Friday night did not include that hot Psych grad student. Instead, I finally got around to watching The Good Sheperd. And how was the De Niro-directed Matt Damon vehicle? Well ... I'd be interested in what any of...
Posted by armand at 01:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 16, 2007

300

When it comes to this bit of popular cinema I have 6 words - Baltar should not see this movie. He'd have a stroke, and/or start frothing at the mouth.You want more of a review than that? Eh, it does...
Posted by armand at 10:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The Conformist

So one of the Netflix discs I watched this week was so-so at best. The first disc of season 9 of South Park includes Best Friends Forever, and that's a pretty great episode - the Schiavo stuff, the Last Starfighter-ish...
Posted by armand at 04:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 13, 2007

Lytle on the Film Adaptation of 300

The reviews mocking its history are coming so fast and furious that I'm increasingly wanting to see this thing. Ephraim Ltyle's discussion of its historical inaccuracies is interesting - and almost Baltarian in its cutting analysis. Elected annually, the five...
Posted by armand at 06:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 05, 2007

Running With Scissors, The Three Little Bops

So my latest Netflix rentals were Running With Scissors and The Looney Tunes Collection, Volume 2 Disc 4. I rented the first because I'd liked the opening of the memoir on which it was based (the book as a whole,...
Posted by armand at 10:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 03, 2007

Zodiac

It definitely gets a "thumbs up" from this viewer. It has been described as a police procedural and that is very much what it is, even if sometimes the investigation isn't being conducted by the police. It's beautifully put together....
Posted by armand at 11:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 01, 2007

Stranger Than Fiction

It's official, I now love Marc Forster. First he makes Finding Neverland (which was so much more winning than expected, and so well constructed), and then he follows that gem up with his release from last year - Stranger Than...
Posted by armand at 08:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 28, 2007

The Heiress

I suppose a lot of the "classics" don't live up to the hype. You've read about them for years, and by the time you finally get around to seeing them you've built them up so high in your head, or...
Posted by armand at 03:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 26, 2007

Oscar Fashion

So I know what you thought was the real reason the pretty congregated last night, right? To show off their prettiness in really pretty clothes! So with that in mind, which dresses did you like best? And which were, ummm,...
Posted by armand at 12:59 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack

On "Flicks" and "Plugs"

No doubt Armand is busily preparing his Oscar roundup post, so I have but a brief comment gleaned from the headlines at CNN this morning. When you go to see a "flick" what do you expect? Fun, lighthearted films? Doris...
Posted by binky at 09:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 24, 2007

Gump and The Gimp

John Patterson's list of "Oscar's Greatest Crimes" beings with a delicious (and all too accurate) slap at Forrest Gump: In 1994, Forrest Gump was the perfect movie tie-in for the Gingrich takeover of Congress the same year. Like the New...
Posted by armand at 11:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 22, 2007

What Would Ernest Borgnine Do?

Something to keep in mind in case you are betting on an Oscar pool - know who the voters are....
Posted by armand at 01:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 19, 2007

The Last of the Film Guild Awards Are In

In the last few days the art directors, costume designers, sound folks and editors have announced their best of the year awards and ... it still remains unusually unclear just who is going to walk away with Best Picture next...
Posted by armand at 11:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 16, 2007

Infamous

I suppose at this point it's known as "the other Truman Capote movie". Which is kind of too bad, because I liked this one better than Capote. Is it the "better" movie? Perhaps not. But I think it's the more...
Posted by armand at 09:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 14, 2007

Cutesy, Lovey-Dovey Songs

My intense dislike of this supposed holiday is well known. Is it to celebrate love? Romance? Relationships? Russell Stover? Tacky "cute" teddy bears? Some saint that lost his feast day decades ago? It's a vague mess that makes certain singles...
Posted by armand at 05:47 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

February 13, 2007

Adopting Eric Cartman's Marketing Strategy

For whatever reason I know a lot of people who absolutely love the "Cartmanland" episode of South Park (can't say I disagree). In it Eric inherits a million dollars, buys a theme park, and then runs television ads stating how...
Posted by armand at 12:55 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

February 07, 2007

The Science of Sleep

But in my case the problem is that I don't have a girlfriend. And I'm not dead.Okay, out of context that's not the world's funniest line. But in context, and as played by delicious Gael - I really liked that...
Posted by armand at 11:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 06, 2007

An Appreciation of Judy Davis

I love her so. And any post that enlightens us to largely unseen treasures in her body of work (and in the process praises the perfectly wonderful High Tide) deserves a link....
Posted by armand at 03:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 05, 2007

Ryan Reynolds Is Funny

Yes, that fact is well known and probably doesn't need to be mentioned here - but since I'm having an awful day I figured it would be good to remind myself that I spent a little chunk of the weekend...
Posted by armand at 12:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 01, 2007

Not That I Have Anything Against Aloysius, But ...

How on Earth do you compress Brideshead Revisited down into two hours (or even less)? It's a truly great novel so I'd certainly be up for seeing it on screen, but ... that'll be a very difficult adaptation job for...
Posted by armand at 01:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Much More Than Olive Oyl

So last night, without really meaning to, I got sucked into Altman's 3 Women. I don't know what to say about it really, or how one would go about discussing it, but I do want to note that Shelley Duvall...
Posted by armand at 10:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 28, 2007

Congratulations

It's awesome that Helen Mirren won the award. In this picture, she doesn't even look like herself does she?...
Posted by binky at 09:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 27, 2007

Smokin' Aces

I realize that it's early to declare the worst movie of 2007, but ... Yikes. This thing is terrible. The word "abomination" leaps to mind. Now it's got its funny moments, and ... Alicia Keys and Ryan Reynolds are attractive...
Posted by armand at 06:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 24, 2007

All the King's Men

There are some movies that lead you to ask - "Why remake it?" Before seeing the new version that was a perfectly understandable question one could have about All the King's Men. After seeing the remake you really, really, really...
Posted by armand at 09:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 23, 2007

The 2007 Oscar Nominations

It's a battle of magician movies (among others) for the cinematography award, Volver isn't nominated for best foreign lanaguage film, Dreamgirls isn't nominated for best picture, Mark Wahlberg is in and Jack Nicholson is out when it comes to the...
Posted by armand at 10:17 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Ripped to Shreds

So the Oscar nominations came out this morning. Since Emily Blunt's performance in The Devil Wears Prada did NOT get a nomination, I'm not yet ready to put up a post on that. But hey, if you too have got...
Posted by armand at 09:35 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 16, 2007

The Wicked Witch of the Golden Globes

I love Go Fug Yourself so ... What this photo doesn't show is the burst of flames and smoke that facilitated Elizabeth Perkins's appearance on the red carpet; the broomstick she rode in on; Fritz or Franz, her flying monkeys;...
Posted by armand at 12:51 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

The Dumbest Thing I'll Read in the Campus Paper All Year?

One can't be sure, because so many dumb things are written in it (especially on the opinion page), but Ms. Kathryn LaGamba has set a tough bar to match in her rundown of the Top 5 Film Mistakes of 2005....
Posted by armand at 10:54 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 15, 2007

Time Warp

Let's do it. Again. Yes, it's coming to our small town, at 11:59 pm on January 27th. Local denizens, mark your calendars and buy your black eyeliner. Get ready to take your seat!...
Posted by binky at 10:52 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

A Film Re-Make of The Politician's Wife?

The phrase that comes to mind is why-on-Earth?The Politician's Wife was a great British miniseries that I saw back in the 1990's. It was really good, and quite interesting. And it seemingly caught the eye of one or more Hollywood...
Posted by armand at 01:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 12, 2007

Curse of the Golden Flower

So it's a Friday night. Naturally (for me) instead of trying to be sociable and put myself in a position where I'd actually meet new people who might one day become friends and maybe even dateable prospects (I've heard rumors...
Posted by armand at 11:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 10, 2007

Factotum and United 93

It's time for another edition of Armand goes to the movies. Or to be more precise, Armand gets dvds from Netflix, cuddles on the sofa with the kitty, and hits play. First up this week was Factotum. My thoughts? It's...
Posted by armand at 11:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 07, 2007

Don't Look Now

I disagree with the first two paragraphs (looking dated isn't necessarily a bad thing, given the turns cinema has taken over the last 30 years), but I think the remainder of this review of Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now (part...
Posted by armand at 10:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

If the New York Times Critics Picked the Oscar Nominees ...

This is actually interesting. The 3 film critics pick their ideal slate of Oscar nominees in 8 top categories, and there are some unexpected names on the lists. If nothing else, for those people who are bored with a lot...
Posted by armand at 12:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Spending the 13th Day of Christmas With The Ref

You know what I'm going to get you next Christmas, Mom? A big wooden cross, so that every time you feel unappreciated for your sacrifices, you can climb on up and nail yourself to it. I love how Kevin...
Posted by armand at 12:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 04, 2007

January 02, 2007

Dark Passage

So after watching WVU's remarkable comeback to defeat Georgia Tech and win its first Gator Bowl, a few friends and I dived into what's likely the most obscure of the films in the Bogart-Bacall box set, Dark Passage. Honestly, I...
Posted by armand at 02:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 31, 2006

"Girl Talk and Quite Desperation: Christopher Guest's Women"

Dan Callahan wrote these thoughts on Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch and Parker Posey, and how Guest uses them, after viewing For Your Consideration....
Posted by armand at 11:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 29, 2006

Dickie Never Made It to 34

But happily Jude Law has - I say happily both because of his talent and for other reasons....
Posted by armand at 11:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Best and Worst Best Actress Awards

As the year ends there's much talk of Oscars in the air - so what better time to run an Oscar-related survey?This year Edward Copeland is running a survey asking readers for their views of the 5 best Best Actress...
Posted by armand at 01:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 19, 2006

Petulia

So this is one of those old movies from the 1960's that I'd heard good things about for years (in fact it just placed #2 on a recent list of 50 lost movies), but had never had a chance to...
Posted by armand at 01:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 15, 2006

12 Screens + 12 Screens = the Same 12 Movies

So we are now hitting the end of the year, the period when a lot of the best movies are released. Now we have a good little 3-screen theater in town that shows critical favorites, and one of the 12-screen...
Posted by armand at 03:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 10, 2006

Who's Paul Lynde? Is He Hot?

I guess I can kind of recommend Another Gay Movie solely on Jonathan Chase's pitch-perfect and so cute delivery of that line, and Jonah Blechman's disturbingly good Lynde impersonation that precedes and follows it. Chase is funny and cute and...
Posted by armand at 10:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

This Sunday in the '06 Film Awards Season

The Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington DC film critics groups all announced their year end awards this weekend, as did the New York Film Critics Online and the American Film Institute. If you are interested in any of these awards...
Posted by armand at 09:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

This Sunday in the '06 Film Awards Season

The Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington DC film critics groups all announced their year end awards this weekend, as did the New York Film Critics Online and the American Film Institute. If you are interested in any of these awards...
Posted by armand at 09:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 09, 2006

The Dozens of Songs Up for Oscar Consideration

I guess Binky should be afraid, "You Know My Name" is on the (lengthy) list. Does anyone have anything to say about any of these? I suppose I've heard a few of them but the only ones that I could...
Posted by armand at 10:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 08, 2006

Having Fun With a Nancy Meyers Movie

I bet you thought it couldn't be done, right? Well, the snark potential they raise is of course enormous, and this take on The Holiday is hilarious (though the film itself sounds predictably dreadful).Not since sitting through Love Actually have...
Posted by armand at 12:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 07, 2006

Wah-Wah

As a general rule one should beware films that are autobiographical works created by a writer/director. The slo-mo's added for emotional impact, the usual dinner-table drama, the shots of the still natural landscape surrounding the intra-family turmoil. Done. To. Death....
Posted by armand at 12:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 02, 2006

James Bond Songs - The Weirdest Oscar Snub Ever?

I just became aware of what's quite possibly the weirdest thing I've ever heard about who's won Oscars - or, rather, who hasn't won Oscars. Did you know that no James Bond theme song has ever won an Oscar? Given...
Posted by armand at 05:44 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Scoop

Woody Allen has long been uneven. Consider that the truly excellent Crimes and Misdemeanors and Husbands and Wives bookend the awful Alice and Shadows and Fog. But at least back in the 1980's and the 1990's Allen produced some very...
Posted by armand at 09:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 27, 2006

Your Favorite Best Actress of the Last 20 Years

Nathaniel's current poll at The Film Experience asks: Which is your favorite best actress win in the last 20 years? Until I saw his list of choices, I didn't realize how rarely I've felt drawn to the winners of the...
Posted by armand at 01:14 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

November 26, 2006

Genital Torture is PG-13 but Nipples Aren't

As always, violence is a-ok but sex is a no-no in an action film. It's James Fucking Bond. And everyone stays fully clothed while they are rolling around on the floor? Oh, no, not everyone stays fully clothed. There is...
Posted by binky at 03:42 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

November 21, 2006

Robert Altman, 1925-2006

One of the country's most influential filmmakers has died.His body of work was considerable - notable for some very high highs, and some pretty low lows. But it was by most accounts a brilliant career. So this seems an excellent...
Posted by armand at 01:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 18, 2006

The Queen

Now I see what the fuss is about. Given the talent involved I figured this film (which focuses on the week following the death of Princess Diana) would be well made and diverting. Helen Mirren has her excellent reputation for...
Posted by armand at 11:27 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

November 17, 2006

Paradise Now

Binky was right. This film, one of last year's Oscar nominees (for Best Foreign Language Film), is indeed quite effective. It has quite a script and is well-acted. It's not fun, diverting or a feel-good movie - but it's an...
Posted by armand at 11:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 13, 2006

Lili Von Shtupp

StinkyLulu's next Supporting Actress Smackdown will feature the nominees from 1974. And who was discussed in this week's Supporting Actress Sunday - Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles. I love Ms. Kahn so much I can barely stand it. It's like...
Posted by armand at 03:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 12, 2006

Marie Antoinette

Boring. Oh so very. Cinephilia nails it - "Honestly, just watch the trailer and flip through the Vogue spread."...
Posted by armand at 11:17 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

November 11, 2006

Shortbus

Most of the commentary about Shortbus emphasizes the graphic sexuality, the "only in New York" quality of the film, or that it was made by John Cameron Mitchell who directed Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Of all of those, the...
Posted by binky at 05:04 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 02, 2006

Baltar's not the only IR guy doing movie reviews

Another excellent use of the "craptastic" descriptor. Don't worry Baltar, Alexander and Troy will forever make us explosively snort coffee onto our keyboards. And simply because I feel like it: Yes, I was close to the stage, thank you very...
Posted by binky at 03:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 30, 2006

X3: X-Men United

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!!!???!!! I thought X2 was great, but I rented this over the weekend and ... well "atrocity" is the word that leaps to mind. I don't know the last time I saw a movie that bad. Honestly,...
Posted by armand at 08:43 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

October 22, 2006

The Prestige vs. The Illusionist

In the battle of the 2006 magician movies I say that The Prestige is the clear winner. The Illusionist was pretty and reasonably diverting entertainment, but it was also predictable and rather light. Not bad by any means, but neither...
Posted by armand at 09:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 23, 2006

Will I Have to Skip the Mysteries of Pittsburgh Movie?

I would never have thought so. It's one of my favorite books (Michael Chabon's best known work before the also terrific Wonder Boys). But if they are rewriting the story like it looks like they may be rewriting the story...
Posted by armand at 06:26 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 19, 2006

Being Julia and Brick

As I've been utterly exhausted today (at the level of starting to collapse to the ground/pass out for no apparent reason) I opted to skip this evening's social revelries (since apparently last night's almost did me in) and curl up...
Posted by armand at 11:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Amazing-

-ly bad? And that'd better be Dave Grohl in the Devil suit....
Posted by binky at 02:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

And the Winner Isn't - 20 Missed Calls by the Academy

Josh R has a list of 20 superb performances that were overlooked by the Academy Awards. I agree with some of his comments/choices (I'd say The Last Hurrah is Tracy's best work). In fact I'm delighted by some of them....
Posted by armand at 12:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 17, 2006

The 8/18 (Tomorrow's) Changes at the Warner

Tonight's your last chance to see Strangers With Candy and Superman downtown. Tomorrow Clerks II and A Scanner Darkly will begin their runs there....
Posted by armand at 10:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 07, 2006

Nathaniel Hearts The Purple Rose of Cairo

Who doesn't? It's wonderful. But what makes this post so nice is that it does a good job of explaining why it's so wonderful....
Posted by armand at 01:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 06, 2006

Merci Pour La Chocolat

You can often count on Claude Chabrol movies to provide a world where, regardless of the well-appointed rooms filled with bright people, something very dark is lurking just out of sight. And you can always count on Isabelle Huppert to...
Posted by armand at 10:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 01, 2006

Cache

So I watched this last night. Starring Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche, it's interesting in that it's deeply loved by some critics, reviled by others, and you can quite easily see the reasons for both. Many American viewers would likely...
Posted by armand at 10:36 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

July 24, 2006

The Big Picture

I rented this, the directorial debut of Christopher Guest (aka: Corky St. Clair, Harlan Pepper, the 5th Baron Haden-Guest, Mr. Jamie Lee Curtis), given my love for his later works Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman. Simply put, this...
Posted by armand at 03:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 17, 2006

Superman Returns

Yes! A summer movie that's not only not a disappointment - it's a definite success.What is this? Well, imagine a 1970's heroic tale with the budget, wit and effects that are possible in the new millenium. It's definitely got the...
Posted by armand at 10:36 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

July 12, 2006

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

Who knew there was a smart (well, sort of) stoner movie? Well, there is at least one. I really liked it a lot. It skewers all kinds of things that deserve skewering, has appealing characters, and is just plain fun....
Posted by armand at 03:56 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

July 07, 2006

Rosemary's Baby

Last night I filled one of the gaping holes in my knowledge of English-language cinema. I'd never seen Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby, one of the most respected films ever made dealing with evil, the occult, a pervasive creepiness, and the...
Posted by armand at 10:44 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

July 04, 2006

In the Name of the Father

In his properly disparaging comments on the lastest attempt by the AFI to praise the same movies it annually praises for one reason or another, Tim Cavanaugh reminds me of one of the best movies of the 1990's, one I'd...
Posted by armand at 10:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 02, 2006

The Devil Wears Prada

I liked it a lot. It's well-crafted in almost every respect, and it is deeply enjoyable. This isn't a fashion movie - it's a movie about the office and trying to balance your personal life and your ideals with what...
Posted by armand at 11:21 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 28, 2006

The Top Actors/Actresses of the Aughts

Nathaniel at Film Experience has been running two polls for some time now that I thought I'd mention here, just because they ask impossibly difficult questions - who is the best actor and who is the best actress of 2000-2005...
Posted by armand at 11:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Movies This Weekend

Won't be seeing Superman (h/t norbizness). Hope to finish season two of Buffy (cheaply shot, no special effects, actual plot and dialog). On Deck: Season two of Batltle Star Galactica....
Posted by baltar at 09:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 27, 2006

An Inconvenient Truth Is Coming to Morgantown

Fyi, for those of you who might want to see it in town, the global warming documentary will be shown at the Warner starting this Friday. I hope it's much better than Why We Fight (the last film I saw...
Posted by armand at 06:17 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Criterion Is Going to Release Kicking and Screaming!

Via Norbizness I've learned today that come August the world is going to be a better place. There are a handful of old movies that I've never seen that I wish I could see on dvd (If ..., The Heiress,...
Posted by armand at 02:27 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 25, 2006

TWO More Chabon Novels to Be Filmed

To my mind Wonder Boys was both a four-star book and a four-star film - a combination you almost never experience in this world (and if you haven't read it or seen it, I extremely strongly recommend both). So don't...
Posted by armand at 03:44 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

June 23, 2006

Wet Hot American Summer

I just finished watching it again. I really love this movie. It's so wonderfully silly and stupid, with some great little comedic turns by the likes of Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon and Paul Rudd (and others too - it's a...
Posted by armand at 10:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

At Home With Amy Sedaris

Should she meet you and find you sufficiently genial, she will have you over for chili, baked ham or spanakopita (a Greek spinach pie, her mother's recipe), and she will undoubtedly bake. How can you not love her? I...
Posted by armand at 03:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 21, 2006

The Steely Spine of Melanie Wilkes

Olivia de Haviland is only turning 90? That barely seems possible. I mean she starred in Gone With the Wind and was playing a majestic older lady as far back as Airport '77 (now that was a cast for a...
Posted by armand at 09:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 16, 2006

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

4 stars!Well maybe 3.9, the ending is a little long, but ... 3.9 stars!This film, the directorial debut of screenwriter Shane Black is hugely fun. It's an homage to the works of Raymond Chandler (adapted from a more recent noir-ish...
Posted by armand at 10:34 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

June 11, 2006

Jesus is Magic

She's got impeccable timing, is very cute and could well turn out to be quite an impressive actress. Add that to comedy that is oh so wrong, so very very wrong, but so right (so much more offensive and so...
Posted by armand at 01:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 02, 2006

If DeMille Had Made His Easter Classic 50 Years Later

Just for Mikey (though some of the rest of you might find it damn funny too) - Ten Things I Hate About Commandments....
Posted by armand at 10:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 26, 2006

A Good Weekend at The Warner

OK, I loathed Friends With Money (except for the ever delightful Joan Cusack), but everything else showing at the downtown theater is very good or looks interesting (Thank You for Smoking, Art School Confidential, United 93 - though I don't...
Posted by armand at 09:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 22, 2006

The House of Yes

I had a great time last night. I hope the pair I was hanging out with did too (since the one who I know reads this blog passed out relatively early I can’t be sure, but … I hope so)....
Posted by armand at 09:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 17, 2006

A.O. Scott Reviews The DaVinci Code

Ouch. That's brutal, but well worth your time if you want a laugh. The mocking of Dan Brown's writing is simply delicious (in a seemingly deservedly cruel way). Though actually, it makes me want to see the film, since it...
Posted by armand at 11:06 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

May 15, 2006

Chungking Express

Since I absolutely loved the gorgeous and moving 2046, and liked and admired the richly-colored Happy Together, I decided to watch Chungking Express last night. That's an earlier film by Wong Kar-Wai. Honestly, I don't think it's nearly as good...
Posted by armand at 10:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 10, 2006

Friends With Money

I didn't love Lovely and Amazing. In fact I found Catherine Keener's lead unusually easy to dislike. So much so that if she'd walked in front of a speeding bus halfway through the film I would have been thrilled. But...
Posted by armand at 01:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 07, 2006

Altman's A Wedding

First off, Morris, you should tell dad that this is now on dvd. I remember him once saying that this was one of his favorite films, and since he's likely not seen it in years (or decades) he might want...
Posted by armand at 05:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 03, 2006

The Family Stone

As I was telling Baltar last night, there can be utterly conventional movies that are still interesting, honestly sweet and oddly captivating, even if you know from the first frame what'll hapen. To me, last year's In Her Shoes was...
Posted by armand at 02:26 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 02, 2006

Hollywood is officially bereft of new ideas

They are remaking Revenge of the Nerds How can they ever top: "We have no room here... Fuck off!" Wait, that was the second Revenge of the Nerds movie, where they go on spring break, right?...
Posted by binky at 12:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 30, 2006

Thank You For Smoking

So yesterday some friends drove down the hill and dragged me off to see the late showing of young Jason Reitman's film adaptation of Christopher Buckley's satire. The film is far from deep, but it's highly amusing. If you ever...
Posted by armand at 11:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 27, 2006

Shopgirl

So I rented Shopgirl last night, and while I wish I could recommend it, I can only do so half-heartedly. It's directed by Anand Tucker (this is his second feature, his first was the superb Hilary and Jackie, and his...
Posted by armand at 09:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 24, 2006

Who Can Play Depression?

This recent post at Cinemarati on Friends With Money brought up an interesting theatrical topic - the difficulty an actor faces when playing depressed - and asked an interesting question - "Which actors can play depression well without depressing the...
Posted by armand at 02:33 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

April 23, 2006

Good Night, and Good Luck.

So I finally saw this film that was nominated for 6 Oscars. And I'm glad I did. It's very good. Quick observations about it: I've now seen 4 of the films nominated for Best Picture - and Crash remains the...
Posted by armand at 09:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 21, 2006

Happy Together

I'm likely to continually get the title of this confused with Happy Endings, so if I wind up talking to any of you about the latest foreign film I watched, assume I really mean Happy Together. And I really might...
Posted by armand at 09:53 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

April 19, 2006

Anything Else

So I guess I could wonder if this is the worst Woody Allen movie ever? But if I did that, then I suppose I would have to remember the relative merits of Small Time Crooks and Alice. And honestly it's...
Posted by armand at 01:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 12, 2006

United 93 is Screened

And Jeffrey Wells joins Time's Richard Corliss in calling it "unmissable". He raves (and that's putting it really mildly) about the 9/11 film directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, Bloody Sunday) here....
Posted by armand at 02:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Dying Gaul

What a disappointment.The people involved in this have exceedingly fine reputations, and for good reason. The three leads, Patricia Clarkson, Campbell Scott and Peter Sarsgaard, are some of the best and most interesting actors working today. The script is by...
Posted by armand at 11:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 07, 2006

This is getting ridiculous

From the Atlantic (emphasis mine): In what's sure to be a frenzy of publicity, the cinematic version of Dan Brown's best-selling book The DaVinci Code opens today [May 17] at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie's plot, like the book's,...
Posted by binky at 09:26 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

March 31, 2006

Rebecca Gayheart - Superb Comedienne

She's been in a number of things I've enjoyed - Dead Like Me, Harvard Man - but after watching Urban Legend again, I really wonder why Rebecca Gayheart hasn't taken off more as an actress - why she hasn't become...
Posted by armand at 01:29 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

March 27, 2006

Dear Wendy

This tale of of misfit pacifists who love their guns (they name themselves "the dandies") is, for a while, quite diverting. Structurally, it feels like a lot of the other Lars von Trier (Dogville, Dancer in the Dark, Breaking the...
Posted by armand at 10:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 25, 2006

Bridget Jones's Diary > Pride and Prejudice

I know I made this comment to a few of you last weekend, after I returned from my brief beach getaway. But I figured I'd post the observation here too, in case anyone else felt like chiming in. I finally...
Posted by armand at 01:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 23, 2006

The Libertine Opens Here Tomorrow

For those of us here in town, a Johnny Depp film will open tomorrow at the Warner. True, it's a Depp film that hasn't gotten especially good reviews (though on the whole Manhola Dargis and Roger Ebert liked it), but...
Posted by armand at 03:49 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 22, 2006

Elizabethtown - The First 37 Minutes

I've been a Cameron Crowe fan. Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, Jerry Maguire, I liked all of them a lot, and how can you not like the script for Fast Times at Ridgemont High? Therefore, the first few minutes of Elizabethtown...
Posted by armand at 11:33 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

March 17, 2006

Hmmmm, I may have to temper my excitement.

I was sorta/kinda interested in "V for Vendetta". I wasn't going to line up days before to get tickets, or anything, but I thought a movie that had connections to "The Matrix", and some reasonably kool actors/actresses, and a moderately...
Posted by baltar at 10:51 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 13, 2006

(Louisiana) Factory Girl

So am I the only one surprised to learn that a movie about Edie Sedgwick focusing on her Andy Warhol days just finished shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana? I know a lot of locations can look like a lot of other...
Posted by armand at 02:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 05, 2006

Less Sheep, More Hot Gay Sex

That's what the flaming heterosexual Matthew Yglesias thinks Brokeback Mountain really needed. I'd say he's probably right. If such a deeply passionate movie about impossible longing were made about a couple of heterosexuals, the sex would have likely be veritably...
Posted by armand at 01:58 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

March 03, 2006

Where the Truth Lies

Yikes, what the hell happened to Atom Egoyan? Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter were superb, two of the first dvds I ever acquired. And I admire Ararat - it has a lot to say, is very well made and moving....
Posted by armand at 11:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 28, 2006

Matt Zoller Seitz Despises Crash

There are whispers that Paul Haggis’ “Crash” might take Best Picture from Ang Lee's gentle-spirited presumptive frontrunner “Brokeback Mountain.” I really hope it doesn’t, because if it does, I'll be so angry that I’ll have to retire my long-term posture...
Posted by armand at 10:04 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Nine Lives

The horror, the voyeuristic, pretentious - no that's not strong enough - agonizingly self-important and self-impressed horror. I just finished watching this monstrosity written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, and felt the need to blog about it immediately - if...
Posted by armand at 09:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 20, 2006

I can't wait!

Look out Baltar, you've got competition for Spielberg slamming!...
Posted by binky at 08:23 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

What is the deal with the NYT and the Colin Farrell movie?

Are they advertising that heavily everywhere? Or do they think we Times readers are especially likely to want to see Farrell's micro-range of acting skills? Oh, wait, maybe it's that they know Baltar reads the Times and they want to...
Posted by binky at 09:19 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

February 19, 2006

Ebert's Oscar Predictions

For those of you who will be taking part in betting pools on Oscar night, here's a crib sheet. And OMG! Is the tide really turning against Brokeback Mountain? It's horrifying that Crash's ridiculous script is going to be almost...
Posted by armand at 07:54 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

February 17, 2006

Four-Color Queers

Does anyone know anything about this film? It's a history of homosexuality in comics, and the trailer looks really good. Hat tip to Emp....
Posted by binky at 01:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 15, 2006

Pennebaker's Film of Sondheim's Company

I recently watched D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary on the creation of the Origial Cast Album of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company. If you’re interested in musicals or Sondheim it’s well worth a look. And it’ll only require 60 minutes of your life....
Posted by armand at 03:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 12, 2006

2046

Will you leave with me? I find it rather remarkable that in as sumptuous and sometimes melodramatic a work of art as 2046, cuttingly real and wise remarks about the nature of love are presented. And that so much about...
Posted by armand at 07:18 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

February 06, 2006

Some Froth on your Cappuchino?

Baltar and Kung Fu Monkey: separated at birth?...
Posted by binky at 03:45 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 31, 2006

The 2006 Oscar Nominations

The Alito vote in the Senate? The State of the Union? C'mon we know what today's real news story is - the Oscar nominations are out!So what do we have? Well, Brokeback Mountain was the heavy favorite for Best Picture...
Posted by armand at 09:10 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

January 29, 2006

Ang Lee Wins the DGA Prize for Brokeback Mountain

Ang Lee has won the top directorial prize from the Director's Guild of American for his work on Brokeback Mountain. This award is a great predictor of who will win the Best Director Oscar - in the last 20 years...
Posted by armand at 10:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 28, 2006

Brokeback Mountain

It finally came to West Virginia yesterday, so I went go see it last night, and I can say that I won't be suprised if it wins a slew of Oscars. It's a beautifully made film, and everything in it...
Posted by armand at 02:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 24, 2006

Just what you've been waiting for...

From CNN. Rawson Marshall Thurber ("Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story") has signed on to write and direct the big-screen adaptation of "Magnum P.I.," the 1980s series that made Tom Selleck a star. We can all breathe easier now....
Posted by binky at 09:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 22, 2006

The BAFTA Nominations

So the BAFTA nominations came out last week. These are basically the British version of the Oscars, and most of the films and performances on their lists are pretty similar to the lists of "bests" we've been seeing on this...
Posted by armand at 04:49 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

January 21, 2006

Capote

Yawn. I just don't get the big deal. I realize I differ from most of the country's top critics and most of my friends, but to me it's a 3 star film, not a 4 star film. Oh, it's got...
Posted by armand at 08:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Breakfast on Pluto and The Chumscrubber

I'd give both of these films 3 stars, on a 4 star scale. Binky and I saw Breakfast on Pluto a couple of weeks ago, but it occurs to me that neither one of us ever posted about it on...
Posted by armand at 11:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 20, 2006

Junebug

Ebert gets it exactly right: "Junebug is a movie that understands, profoundly and with love and sadness, the world of small towns; it captures ways of talking and living I remember from my childhood, with the complexity and precision of...
Posted by armand at 12:49 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

January 18, 2006

What would you add (or subtract)?

LGM posts ten flicks that define America. What do you think? If it were truly America and not the US, I would add Man Facing Southeast, Pixote, City of God, Orfeu Negro, Fresa y chocolate, O Que e Isso, Companheiro?,...
Posted by binky at 10:58 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

January 09, 2006

Bad Year At The Movies

Via Andrew Sullivan, the movie critic of the New Yorker (Anthony Lane) thinks 2005 was underwhelming (or, more critically, just rotten) for movies. I think I agree. I don't think I saw anything this year that was very good. I...
Posted by baltar at 03:56 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

January 05, 2006

Movie Review(s): Dukes of Hazzard, Fantastic Four, Tombstone, and Serenity

Very short version: hire good writers = make better movie. I can't get worked up over any of these movies, as I managed for "War of the Worlds" or a few others. Mostly (exceptions noted below), these movies were bad....
Posted by baltar at 06:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 30, 2005

The Squid and the Whale

I highly recommend it. Noah Baumbach wrote some of the true gems of the last decade of cinema - Kicking and Screaming (1995), The Life Aquatic. This family/divorce drama might not be quite as amusing as those films, but it...
Posted by armand at 10:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 29, 2005

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

If you liked those old movies from the 1970's - movies with an anti-hero, someone who's bad, but also a very well-drawn and interesting character, someone often involved in crime; films that were often as much characters studies of someone...
Posted by armand at 11:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 20, 2005

Syriana

Go see it. Now.I haven't seen Brokeback Mountain or Munich or most of the other "best" movies of 2005. But I'll be very pleasantly surprised to see any that surpass this film, easily one of the best movies about politics,...
Posted by armand at 03:00 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

December 13, 2005

Happy Endings

Happy Endings, written and directed by Don Roos who's probably best known for being the writer/director of The Opposite of Sex, is rather hard to describe. There are so many interlocking stories that it's hard to say exactly how they...
Posted by armand at 12:15 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 12, 2005

The New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review

And the 2005 film awards keep coming. The New York Film Critics Circle has joined the Brokeback Mountain bandwagon. They gave it the prizes for best film, best director and best actor (Heath Ledger). Among their other picks - Reese...
Posted by armand at 04:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Los Angeles and Boston Film Critics Awards

The awards season for 2005's best films has begun, and the film critis in L.A. and Boston both like Brokeback Mountain. It earned top honors from both sets of critics, as did its director, Ang Lee. Likewise, Capote's Philip Seymour...
Posted by armand at 10:15 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

December 10, 2005

Metropolitan to Get the Criterion Treatment

Whoo-hoo! On February 28, 2006 the Criterion Collection will release its treatment of Whit Stillman's divine Metropolitan - at once one of the sweetest, wittiest and artistically coherent independent films every made. There are so many reasons to love this...
Posted by armand at 11:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 06, 2005

9 Songs

What should one make of this? The most respectable porno ever? A one-sided glimpse at a relationship - not a narrative about it, just a look at it? Sex scenes interrupted by some trips to music venues? Metaphors about being...
Posted by armand at 12:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 04, 2005

Walk the Line

Expect it to pick up a lot of Oscar nominations, including ones for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress. I finally saw it last night and came away very impressed. The performances are outstanding, the music is sensational. In...
Posted by armand at 01:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 01, 2005

Rent

OK, I've got to begin my comments on this film by saying that I'd never seen Rent on stage or heard any of the songs except for "Seasons of Love" before seeing this film. I think that makes all the...
Posted by armand at 11:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 24, 2005

If You Ever Expect To Be Invaded By Aliens, Don't Have Kids

Movie Review: War of the Worlds Short Version: When faced with a choice between seeing this movie, or shooting yourself, aim for your thigh: you don't hit any bones, and you'll heal faster. Directed by: Steven "I used to make...
Posted by baltar at 09:29 AM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

November 20, 2005

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

It's very good. Not perfect, but if you are a Potter and Hogwarts fan, and I am, I don't think you'll be disappointed. While it doesn't hold to the book in every way, it certainly captures the spirit of the...
Posted by armand at 04:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 18, 2005

Heights

This is a good movie you might never have heard of. I don't recall ever hearing a thing about Heights before seeing it as preview on a dvd. This is mildly perplexing as it's one of the last films produced...
Posted by armand at 10:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 12, 2005

Dot the I

Those eyes, how does he manage to convey so much with those eyes ...Sorry, I got distracted. I watched Dot the I last night. Binky and I had rented that last weekend, but as you may have guessed from the...
Posted by armand at 09:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 11, 2005

The 40 Year Old Virgin and Ma Mere

I’ve watched a couple of films this week. The 40 Year Old Virgin was diverting enough I suppose, but as summer fare goes I greatly preferred Batman Begins, Red Eye, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a number of other...
Posted by armand at 09:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 05, 2005

Mysterious Skin

OK, first a word of warning. Roger Ebert writes the following in his extremely positive review of this film, far and away the best film ever created by Gregg Araki. It:is at once the most harrowing and, strangely, the most...
Posted by armand at 09:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 02, 2005

In Her Shoes

Someone in Twentieth Century Fox's marketing department might need to be fired. I saw Curtis Hanson's In Her Shoes on Monday night, and it's really rather pathetic that the studio didn't find a better way to promote this film. It...
Posted by armand at 10:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 27, 2005

Merely Crappy

I don't know how I got assigned to write the reviews of crappy sort-of-based-on-reality-historical-with-swords movies, but that seems to be my assigned role here at bloodless. Alexander was awful beyond belief, and Troy was only ever so slightly better. In...
Posted by baltar at 09:15 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 24, 2005

A History of Violence

There are parts of this movie that don't belong in this movie - but since I'm still not sure what it's about, it's hard to say which parts. The script and some of the directing choices leave a great deal...
Posted by armand at 11:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 22, 2005

Stay

At the moment I can't write a detailed review of Marc Forester's Stay, which I saw this afternoon. One reason for this is that I lack the time to do so adequately. But I also wouldn't know where to start....
Posted by armand at 06:24 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 15, 2005

Me and You and Everyone We Know

Armand says - skip it. This film, a Sundance winner, was written by Miranda July, directed by Miranda July, and stars Miranda July. Ms. July might have a bright future ahead of her, and there are times that I liked...
Posted by armand at 12:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 25, 2005

The Life Aquatic - Take Two

So in my initial review of the film last winter, I noted that might response might be quite different (more positive) upon a second viewing. So I did finally watch it again - and I was indeed entirely too harsh...
Posted by armand at 12:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 22, 2005

Ninotchka

Last night I watched a Greta Garbo movie for the first time - Ernst Lubitsch's Ninotchka. This 1939 movie (the list of widely admired "classics" from 1939 is perhaps longer than that of any other year and includes films like...
Posted by armand at 11:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 17, 2005

Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together

OK, so this isn't remotely as funny as Baltar's post below on Alexander (or, of course, his infamous review of Troy), so go read those first, but once you've done that, for those of you who are looking for an...
Posted by armand at 11:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Movie Review: Alexander (maybe)

(Because this movie sucked dead deer dicks, I'm not putting any effort into links. If you want further information, find it yourself.) Question: Are you going to do this movie review in "Question and Answer" style? Answer: Yes. Q: Why?...
Posted by baltar at 09:58 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

September 11, 2005

Black and White in Color

I watched this film, the first directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud ( who also directed The Name of the Rose and Enemy at the Gates) and winner of the 1977 Best Foreign Film Oscar, on the recommendation of a regular Bloodless...
Posted by armand at 09:26 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

September 05, 2005

Red Eye

I had a great Saturday night, and it started off with seeing a really fun movie - Wes Craven's Red Eye. I don't want to get anyone's expectations set too high. The premise it is set on isn't remotely complicated,...
Posted by armand at 02:01 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 27, 2005

My Architect

After watching this documentary I'm left wondering why it got such good reviews. It seems as much focused on the storyteller (the architect's son) as the architect who's supposedly its focus (Louis Khan). And the picture it paints of both...
Posted by armand at 11:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 23, 2005

The Last of Sheila

I finally watched this classic murder mystery/game/puzzle film from the 1970's last night. Written by Anthony Perkins (of Psycho fame) and Stephen Sondheim (the king of musical theater in the USA), this film involves 7 people. James Coburn invites six...
Posted by armand at 12:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 22, 2005

Michelle Yeoh

I watched the simply superb Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon again last night. I probably hadn't seen it in a couple of years - too long. The film has a host of strengths, but I'll simply be shallow for a moment...
Posted by armand at 11:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 21, 2005

Follies in Concert

Being Bloodless Coup's biggest (maybe only) fan of musical theater, I decided to rent Follies in Concert last week. Perhaps I'm more a Stephen Sondheim fan than a musicals fan, hence the choice. Now I'd long heard that Follies was...
Posted by armand at 02:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 14, 2005

The Skeleton Key

If you are looking for chills on this hot summer day, this movie might supply a few. However, if you are looking for thrills, you had best look elsewhere. This is not a horror film. Instead it is a creepy...
Posted by armand at 02:30 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

July 26, 2005

Ooooo-kay

When you find your niche, exploit the hell out of it, I say! Mel Gibson is making a movie in Mayan. Bix a bel Mel?...
Posted by binky at 10:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 24, 2005

Totally F***ed Up

Since Gregg Araki's latest, Mysterious Skin, starring Joseph Gordon Levitt of 3rd Rock from the Sun fame (he's also featured in such personal faves as 10 Things I Hate About You and the short-lived sitcom The Powers That Be), has...
Posted by armand at 07:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 22, 2005

Bully

It's a Larry Clark (Kids) film, so you know it's as feel-good as Capra and as subtle as Bergman. OK, I kid. But hey - it's got Bijou Phillips naked! Though, is she ever on film clothed? Off topic. Sorry....
Posted by armand at 12:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 19, 2005

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I give it a big thumbs up. Some reviews, say Roger Ebert's or Film Threat's, are oddly obsessed with their irriation at Depp's performance as Wonka reminding them of Michael Jackson. Get over it guys. Wonka has always been a...
Posted by armand at 01:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 18, 2005

DVD Rentals this July

I've catching up on a variety of things on dvd this month. Here are a few thoughts on some of the things I've watched. Entourage, Season 1 – Since I don’t have HBO, I didn’t see these episodes when they...
Posted by armand at 01:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 21, 2005

The Machinist

I found the first ten minutes or so of this psychological thriller starring Christian Bale to be very difficult to watch. Bale lost over 60 pounds for the role and he looks ... well, emaciated. But that choice unquestionably adds...
Posted by armand at 11:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 07, 2005

Sarsgaard in Kinsey

I finally got around to watching Kinsey last night. It's good. Technically it's really very good (in terms of the cinematography, score, costumes, art design, etc.), though Kinsey himself is so egotistical and a bit tiresome that I'd probably only...
Posted by armand at 11:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 30, 2005

Le Fils (The Son)

This film by the Dardenne brothers (who just won the top award at the Cannes Film Festival for their latest work) is somewhat difficult to describe. It is a little bit creepy and it's suspenseful throughout. But even with that...
Posted by armand at 03:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 27, 2005

Crash by Paul Haggis

Crash has been getting some of the best reviews of the year. Roger Ebert called it a "movie of intense fascination". Ella Taylor in the LA Weekly has called it "one of the best Hollywood movies about race, but, along...
Posted by armand at 01:39 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

May 21, 2005

Poirot: Five Little Pigs

Since I enjoyed The Hollow last week I watched Five Little Pigs this week. If you are looking for a country house setting and characters acting like they are in Gosford Park, you'll probably prefer The Hollow. But if you...
Posted by armand at 03:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 15, 2005

Poirot: The Hollow

I've been a huge Agatha Christie fan since I was a little kid. I've read lots of the books, seen most of the feature films, and have grown to quite enjoy the various television productions - even if they obviously...
Posted by armand at 03:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

James Spader and Me

This is just a little oddity that I think might amuse one or two readers. Friday night I was in one of our town's drinking establishments playing pinball (very poorly) with some friends when someone noted that 1) James Spader...
Posted by armand at 03:37 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 09, 2005

Monsieur Ibrahim

In the grand scheme of things it's rather slight, and I bet the novel it's based on plays out some key points in ways that would contribute to your appreciation of this film ... but this adaptation directed by Francois...
Posted by armand at 09:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 07, 2005

Blade: Trinity

So it's too often ponderous, and Natasha Lyonne as some sort of blind sciene whiz?!? Uh-huh. And Wesley Snipes has gone from being kind of badass too being far to full of his supposed serious coolness. But all that said...
Posted by armand at 12:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 29, 2005

Is That Confetti You Have in Your Hand?

Chalk it up to my Flaming Lips love, but I swear Sam Rockwell looks like Wayne Coyne in this picture from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (and that is somehow so right, because as we all know, Wayne Coyne...
Posted by binky at 01:46 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

April 24, 2005

Primer and Melinda and Melinda

Primer is a dynamite little movie. When I say little I mean that it’s a masterpiece of small-budget filmmaking. It’s the kind of film where in the credits the director thanks his parents for feeding the crew, and afterwards you...
Posted by armand at 07:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 23, 2005

The TriBeCa Film Festival

Began in New York this week. It offers all sorts of apparent delights like The Beat My Heart Skipped, but being always curious about the oddities of Peter Greenaway I'd probably try to check out The Tulse Luper Suitcases....
Posted by armand at 04:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 21, 2005

Dr. Strangelove vs. Duck Soup

Norbizness has offered some tough choices before (like Duck Soup vs. Airplane!) in his comedy film competition, but this one is one of the hardest choices. Still, it's only fitting that the two films in the final are both classics...
Posted by armand at 11:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 17, 2005

Bad Education

With Talk to Her (2002) and Bad Education (2004) Pedro Almodovar has shown the kind of vision, skill and quality film making that very few directors ever exhibit in one film over their entire career, much less in two films...
Posted by armand at 10:56 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 11, 2005

Purple Noon

I watched this classic Rene Clement adaptation of one of Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley stories last night. Since I saw the similar The Talented Mr. Ripley some years ago I couldn't help but compare it to that film. Both present...
Posted by armand at 11:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 09, 2005

Stage Beauty

It's a very slight film. It's fine. Most everyone involved does a perfectly adequate job. It's raises some interesting identity issues - but doesn't really pursue them anywhere. So that makes it, what? An ok 2-and-a-half star kind of a...
Posted by armand at 01:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 05, 2005

Antonioni's L'Eclisse

The images, the atmosphere, the music, it's a carefully designed spectacle presented in a way that makes you constantly confront questions of design and reality. Antonioni forces you to be clever, and to be aware. He makes you see...
Posted by armand at 01:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 02, 2005

Movie Review: Troy

Directed by Wolfgang Peterson (who should have known better). Starring: Brad Pitt's butt and chiseled abs, Legolas, Boromir, Peter O'Toole (who should have known better), 300 Hungarians and 500 Mexicans (I watched some of the extras). Written by some idiot...
Posted by baltar at 05:40 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Closer

Last night I was finally able to watch this film, directed by Mike Nichols and adapted by Patrick Marber from his own play. Given the talent behind the scenes and the quality of the cast – Natalie Portman, Clive Owen,...
Posted by armand at 10:47 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 28, 2005

Dinner at Eight

This 1930's George Cukor classic was recently released on DVD. The quality of the transfer isn't superb, and honestly, though it was certainly an event in its day and features a plethora of the era's stars, the film doesn't hold...
Posted by armand at 09:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 24, 2005

Comic Book Movie News

On Pete's Perfectly Cromulent Blog one can learn about which X-Men characters will be joining the cast in the next film, and the actor that will be playing the villain in Spider-Man III....
Posted by armand at 11:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 22, 2005

Control Room

As with many movies that somehow managed to skirt a run in lovely small town USA, Control Room is one that Bloodless Coup just got around to watching. By some miracle of scheduling - or perhaps because yesterday was the...
Posted by binky at 04:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 18, 2005

And This is Supposed to Make Us Feel Better?

As if we haven't been dreading the latest cinematrocities to be trotted out by George Lucas in the final (?) installment of the Star Wars series, now we have this to add to our apprehension: "It's not like the old...
Posted by binky at 11:55 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 08, 2005

Joel Schmacher's The Phantom of the Opera

It's a mystifying combination of awful, boring and hysterical. I'm always happy to see Minnie Driver. Love her. And I still can't get over how wonderful Patrick Wilson was in Angels in America, so it was sort of good to...
Posted by armand at 05:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 01, 2005

The Battle of Algiers and All The Real Girls

Having just watched The Battle of Algiers I can understand why they screened it at the Pentagon. While there are several key differences between the fights in Iraq today and Algeria in the 1950s, there are some important similarities (though...
Posted by armand at 11:26 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

February 28, 2005

And A Very Special Oscar For ...

OK, whether or not you watched last night's fashion, oops, I mean awards, show, if you could pick out one bit of work from last year's films that you think was under-appreciated and worthy of recognition, what kind of award...
Posted by armand at 04:02 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 23, 2005

Goodbye Lenin

This is a charming, well made and, fundamentally, sweet little film. Some viewers might be disturbed by the fact that what the film’s protagonist, Alex, does is arguably disturbed and selfish. But it is also understandable. What Alex is trying...
Posted by armand at 10:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 21, 2005

Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby is the third of this year’s nominees for the Best Picture Oscar that I have seen. That it received a nomination is no surprise. It is a classic, all-American story of hard work, sacrifice, bonding and redemption....
Posted by armand at 09:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 13, 2005

Bright Young Things

This film adaptation of Waugh's Vile Bodies doesn't really work. I think that part of the problem is the director, Stephen Fry. He does some interesting things with the camera, makes some beautiful images, shows a great flair for color...
Posted by armand at 02:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 11, 2005

The Secret Lives of Dentists

I watched this on the recommendation of Joshua S., and my initial reaction to it was less than positive. Any film that features teeth being drilled, little girls squealing and young children vomiting, starts out with some big strikes...
Posted by armand at 10:06 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 07, 2005

The Grudge

If you've seen The Ring, there's absolutely no reason to watch this. Actually, even if you haven't, there's not much of a reason to watch it....
Posted by armand at 11:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 05, 2005

Ian Holm in Big Night

Big Night is a nice movie. Not amazing, great or superb - but very nice. And hey, who can ever argue with anything that gives us a chance to gaze upon and enjoy Isabella Rosselini?But thinking about it, a question...
Posted by armand at 11:18 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 28, 2005

De-Lousy

There seems to me something very wrong with the fact that De-Lovely, a film that highlights the creation of splendidly clever works of art, is itself such a tiresome, ungainly mess. There are a few great little things about it....
Posted by armand at 12:54 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 25, 2005

The 77th Annual Academy Award Nominations

The nominations were announced this morning. Do any of you have anything you want to say about them? My thoughts? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and its director should have been nominated, as should have the director of Finding...
Posted by armand at 12:55 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

January 21, 2005

Shaun of the Dead

When all is said and done and I look back on the films of 2004 a few years from now (when I've had a chance to see more of the smaller releases, plus some of the larger ones that I...
Posted by armand at 12:41 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

January 20, 2005

Secret Things

Hot girl-on-girl action! You might think I'm being a little silly begining this post that way, but given the length of time the movie takes to get to anything else ... OK, that's not really accurate. It's starts with women...
Posted by armand at 11:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 13, 2005

The Best Song Oscar

OK, the nominations aren't out yet, but is it ever too early to start cowering in fear of the hideous tunes Oscar viewers will assaulted with mid-way through that endless awards program? My question is ... does anyone remember any...
Posted by armand at 01:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 08, 2005

"Adventure Has a New Name"

This one-liner is likely to be the funniest swipe at an Eisner-family creation all weekend. Speaking of Eisner-related disasters, did anyone read that piece on Eisner bringing Ovitz into Disney (and the debacles that followed) in the latest issue of...
Posted by armand at 02:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 06, 2005

Ghost in the Shell II: Innocence

Wow. If you never saw Ghost in the Shell you missed one of the best-looking animated features ever. And this one ... wow. The imagery, details, use of light and movement ... wow. It looks phenomenal and draws upon looks...
Posted by armand at 03:54 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 04, 2005

Superfluous Endings - Snicket and Neverland

Two movies, two days, two needless final scenes. I'd recommend both Lemony Snicket and Finding Neverland, but I don't understand why the scripts for both of these films ended with scenes that explicitly laid out emotions and meanings that were...
Posted by armand at 03:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 03, 2005

Lemony Snicket: The Miserable Movie

It's definitely not Jim Carrey's best film and performance of the year - that would be Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Sadly, here he too frequently just hams it up. But if you can overlook his overacting this is...
Posted by armand at 03:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 02, 2005

Sideways

When a film achieves such critical acclaim you inevitably enter it with very high expectations. My advice - don't think about that when you go to see it. It is a good movie. It is a very good movie. But...
Posted by armand at 11:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 29, 2004

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Terribly disappointing. Bottle Rocket was whimsical. An unexpected love story, staying true to your friends and wacky crime hijinks all rolled into a really nice little film. Rushmore was a perfect film - perhaps THE perfect film. The Royal Tenenbaums...
Posted by armand at 01:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Seconds

I rented this John Frankenheimer thriller because it's a John Frankenheimer thriller. The man knows chills, paranoia, and how to make all kinds of weird shots work. And this film fits with his style beautifully. It's cold, claustrophobic, and features...
Posted by armand at 12:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 28, 2004

The Incredibles

Brad Bird + Pixar. What more do you need to know?It's great. Perhaps it doesn't equal The Iron Giant in certain respects, but it's a very different kind of film. It's both amusing and perceptive. It's politics are interesting -...
Posted by armand at 04:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 21, 2004

The Door in the Floor

Tod Williams wrote and directed this adaptation of part of a John Irving novel. While I thought his first film, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, was a bit over-rated, this is a very fine piece of work. Though it features...
Posted by armand at 10:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 17, 2004

Copenhagen

If you've never seen the Frayn play performed and are interested in seeing how you work Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle into the structure of a mystery/drama, you might want to think about renting this film. It's rather interesting, and stars Stephen...
Posted by armand at 11:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 13, 2004

New York Film Critics Awards

They joined the critics groups I've already mentioned (Los Angeles, Boston and San Fransisco) in naming Sideways as the year's best film. They named Bad Education as the year's best foreign film....
Posted by armand at 01:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

More Year-End Movie Awards

Oscarwatch has the Golden Globe nominations, the AFI top 10, and the awards from the film critics in Boston and San Francisco. The critics in both of those cities named Sideways the year's best picture. My favorites out of these...
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December 12, 2004

L.A. Film Critics Awards for 2004

Best Picture - Sideways; Director - Alexander Payne for Sideways; Actor - Liam Neeson for Kinsey; Actress - Imelda Stauton for Vera Drake; Supporting Actor - Thomas Haden Church for Sideways; Supporting Actress - Virginia Madsen for Sideways; Screenplay -...
Posted by armand at 04:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 03, 2004

A Home at the End of the World

I rented this clunker on the basis of the cast (including Colin Farrell, Sissy Spacek and Robin Wright Penn), and it should be noted that they do indeed give game performances with what they have to work with. But yikes,...
Posted by armand at 10:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 27, 2004

Napoleon Dynamite - Raking in Big Dollars

You know, Team America might be great - I haven't seen it, but I like a lot of the stuff the South Park guys have done - but I love that we live in a country where Napoleon Dynamite has...
Posted by armand at 12:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 26, 2004

The Motorcycle Diaries

It's one of the best movies of the year, while at the same time being in many ways your basic road movie. A couple of friends (a med student and a biochemist) set off on a road adventure (they are...
Posted by armand at 11:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 25, 2004

The Saddest Music in the World

What a peculiar film. I should begin by saying that I haven't seen any of Guy Maddin's other films, so I don't know how it compares to the rest of his work. But it's certainly unusual. The approach to the...
Posted by armand at 11:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 24, 2004

Anthony Minghella

On Monday I commented on two of the actors in Mr. Minghella's last major film - Jude Law and Philip Seymour Hoffman. But I've also been wondering something about Mr. Minghella that maybe some of the rest of you have...
Posted by armand at 11:27 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

November 22, 2004

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Since I'm praising one actor this afternoon, I suppose it's only fair to balance that with criticizing another - and why not take on a favorite of so many other actors while I'm at it! As I mentioned below I...
Posted by armand at 05:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jude Law's Versatility

Maybe others don't think it's that big a deal, but after watching both Cold Mountain and Alfie last week, and thinking about his body of work, does it strike anyone else that Jude Law has a remarkable ability to fill...
Posted by armand at 05:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 12, 2004

Before Sunset

This week I finally got around to watching Before Sunset (the sequel to Before Sunrise, directed by Richard Linklater and starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke). If you liked the first movie, you've got to watch the second one. It's...
Posted by armand at 11:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 05, 2004

Latter Days

So I watched a second multiple-hankie weepy this week, Latter Days. I don't watch many American-made "gay-themed" movies. One reason for this is that many of them are just plain bad. True, there are some great ones (say Longtime Companion,...
Posted by armand at 10:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 02, 2004

All About My Mother

It's a 3-hankie movie. And it's really quite good for about 75 minutes. I was moved and impressed. The acting, Almodovar's visual style, the staging ... all very fine indeed. And some of the script is also really quite funny....
Posted by armand at 04:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 28, 2004

8 1/2

Putting an end to one of the most obscene holes in my knowledge of the cinema, I watched Fellini's 8 1/2 last night. Wow. I think it's probably Fellini's "best" film. Honestly, I like La Dolce Vita more. That's the...
Posted by armand at 02:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 26, 2004

I Heart Huckabees

I watched this last Friday night. There were some interesting bits in it. And the cast is fantastic and everyone went after their roles with gusto. I particularly enjoyed Mark Wahlberg, but I think they all did what they were...
Posted by armand at 10:26 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The Conversation

I finally got around to watching this Francis Ford Coppola classic last night. It strikes me that it's very much the product of its era (the early/mid 1970's). There's a constant tone of menace, instability and a despairing moral conscience....
Posted by armand at 10:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 20, 2004

Saved! and The Day After Tomorrow

Bloodless Coup gathered a few nights ago to check out a few new DVD releases. I really enjoyed Saved!. I mean it's pretty cute right from the start between Mac Culkin's acerbic delivery and our believing heroine sacrificing her virginity...
Posted by armand at 03:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 17, 2004

An Interview With Sandra Oh

While ostensibly this is an interview that's part of the press campaign for Sideways, the latest film by Alexander Payne (who gave us one of the classic black comedies of recent years in Election), this interview in The New York...
Posted by armand at 11:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 15, 2004

Born Rich

I rented this documentary made by Johnson & Johnson heir Jamie Johnson. Honestly, there's not much to it. I mean you make some interesting small discoveries. For example, kids from rich families can have bad skin (or at least S.I....
Posted by armand at 12:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 25, 2004

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

I’ve wondered about this surrealist classic ever since hearing Charlie Black’s condemnation of it in Metropolitan. Given Charlie’s appreciation of the bourgeoisie, I can understand why he was appalled at the film’s representation of the class. Still, it’s probably worth...
Posted by armand at 02:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 20, 2004

Gael Garcia Bernal

You just have to love him....
Posted by armand at 04:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 11, 2004

Death in Venice

So after failing in 3 attempts to start watching Starsky and Hutch (even putting aside my long-standing dislike for Ben Stiller – I don’t think he’s very funny, and he’s starred in a lot of over-rated dogs, the side-splitting Zoolander...
Posted by armand at 03:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 08, 2004

Dogville

Now I might be wrong, but it occurs to me that Zell Miller might really like this movie. Oh he'd be offended by it, no question. Playing "Young Americans" over the end credits would likely wake him up to the...
Posted by armand at 12:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 07, 2004

Garden State

I don't want to say too much about Garden State. It's the kind of movie you should just walk into and experience on your own terms. If you want plot points - it deals with meeting up again with old...
Posted by armand at 10:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 03, 2004

Ella Enchanted and Wonderland

So my two latest DVD rentals were both very much worth the time I took to watch them, though they will likely appeal to very different audiences. Probably my favorite Roger Ebert moment of the last year was his tirade...
Posted by armand at 10:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 30, 2004

Children of Dune

This weekend I finally put myself through the Children of Dune miniseries. Being a huge fan of Dune (the book, the miniseries, and even the Lynch movie) I had attempted to watch it before but couldn't get through it. Having...
Posted by armand at 03:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Aging

Alright, I officially feel old. Kevin Smith is making a sequel to Clerks....
Posted by binky at 09:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 29, 2004

A Beautiful but Troubling Message

Last night two thirds of bloodless coup went to the movies to see Hero, the new Jet Li film that is out in theaters. New to the U.S. actually, since it is actually a 2002 film. The first thing I...
Posted by binky at 12:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 26, 2004

I Shot Andy Warhol

OK, one last movie post by me for this week. I finally got around to seeing I Shot Andy Warhol. It's quite good on a number of fronts, but since I've only got a second I'll simply note two things...
Posted by armand at 04:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 23, 2004

Sweet Home Alabama Meets Parker Lewis

OK, upon further review I was able to find one thing I liked about Sweet Home Alabama (well, beyond it presumably furthering the career of Josh Lucas). Now it's not in the movie itself, but on the commentary track (yes,...
Posted by armand at 11:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 22, 2004

Another Movie Update

I've been throwing myself in front of a wide assortment of movies over the last week. The last two I watched were horrifying, albeit in very different ways. First, Sweet Home Alabama. Now this wasn't as bad as Serendipity or...
Posted by armand at 04:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 20, 2004

Visconti's The Leopard

While I have a few problems with Netflix, generally it’s been a convenient addition to my life. More than that, it’s been an addition that’s given me the chance to view fine movies that I otherwise wouldn’t have the chance...
Posted by armand at 09:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 19, 2004

La Ceremonie

Be afraid. Be very afraid. There may be psycho bitches in your town - perhaps at your local post office, perhaps in your home. Maybe they are sneaking up behind you as you read this, about to blow your head...
Posted by armand at 01:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 18, 2004

Fame and Isolation

Last night Bloodless Coup watched Mayor of the Sunset Strip, a documentary by George Hickenlooper. The opinion was unanimous: how depressing. Rodney Bingenheimer - the Mayor in question - has had a great deal of success as well as an...
Posted by binky at 04:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 10, 2004

Protesting Birth of a Nation

The Silent Movie Theater in Hollywood had been planning to screen D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, one of the most influential movies in early-American cinema. The theater has canceled this showing though in response to threatening telephone calls,...
Posted by armand at 02:02 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Whatever Happened to Fay Wray?

She died Sunday, at the age of 96. Like many people my age, my introduction to her was probably not the King Kong that most remember, but a transvestite's longing in a song from the Rocky Horror Picture Show: Whatever...
Posted by binky at 11:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 09, 2004

The Manchurian Candidate

Bloodless Coup went to the movies yesterday to see Jonathan Demme's The Manchurian Candidate. While I can't speak for my colleagues, I found it to be a ponderous bore. Demme has completely lost his ability to create a suspenseful situation,...
Posted by armand at 10:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 06, 2004

Voldemort Takes Human Form

Ralph Fiennes has been cast as Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The movie, which will also see Miranda Richardson joing the ensemble cast, will be released in November 2005....
Posted by armand at 01:32 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 02, 2004

Bourne Supreme

Binky and I made it out to see The Bourne Supremacy on Saturday. That's one summer blockbuster that measures up to the hype - or in this case to the hipness it has tried to convey by its lack of...
Posted by armand at 01:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 27, 2004

Out of the Past

Out of the Past was released on DVD last week. If you have even the slightest interest in film noir, or just the great old love story/crime dramas that used to be a staple of American Movie Classics, you should...
Posted by armand at 11:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 22, 2004

The Barbarian Invasions

Some conservatives might find it surprising that I think they might find much to like in a film that looks approvingly at infidelity, promiscuity, narcotics use, and assisted suicide, takes swipes at President Bush and Prime Minister Berlusconi, and includes...
Posted by armand at 10:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 20, 2004

Super Size Me

Bloodless Coup went to the movies last night to check out Super Size Me. It is well worth a look. As far as tone and structure, it's like a considerably more polite Michael Moore movie. While it's quite amusing, it...
Posted by armand at 03:39 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The Godfather

I watched The Godfather again over the weekend. In a lot of ways this movie annoys me no end. Giving new life (and appeal) to mafia stories wasn’t a good thing. Many of the innumerable ersatz replications of these crime...
Posted by armand at 08:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 15, 2004

The Dreamers

Bloodless Coup got together last night to watch Bertolucci’s The Dreamers. As our views on it differ, I expect you may see a post or comment from Baltar on this in the near future. Personally, I liked it. This is...
Posted by armand at 04:24 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

July 10, 2004

Altman's The Company

People are frequently told that the world can be divided into two kinds of people. Examples? Red America and blue America. People from Mars and people from Venus. People who like Animaniacs and people who don’t like Animaniacs. It strikes...
Posted by armand at 10:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 01, 2004

Die Mommie Die

OK, so given that I don't like drag shows, maybe I wasn't the target audience for this movie. That sort of seems to have been Roger Ebert's take on it (well, Ebert thinks that the changes that have taken place...
Posted by armand at 02:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 29, 2004

Movie Comments

So over the last two nights I’ve rented two movies set in the America of a few decades ago, both dealing with characters struggling with whether or not they want to be adults. Neither was brilliant, but both were solid...
Posted by armand at 10:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 25, 2004

Movie: Ozark Savage

Saw a really weird movie last night. Not good, not bad...just weird. Ozark Savage caught my eye at the video store. Not really sure why. The director must have had a budget that just covered film, pizza and beer (and...
Posted by baltar at 03:59 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

June 02, 2004

Stephen Dorf

My other reaction to television this morning isn't so positive. I tend to skip over the video channels, but as I was doing so today I noticed that the same video was playing simultaneously on MTV and VH1, so I...
Posted by armand at 11:22 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

May 23, 2004

Peter Pan

OK, so while I'm going to try and recommend a book every Sunday this Sunday I'm going to do something different and recommend a movie based on a literary work. If you think it's the kind of thing you might...
Posted by armand at 02:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 09, 2004

Van Sant's Elephant

After having somehow managed to sit through the interminable Gerry, I had feared than Gus Van Sant had completely lost his touch. Not so. I watched Elephant over the weekend, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It is beautifully...
Posted by armand at 09:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack