**Rerun's Movie Reviews**

[CebuShan]

I have to jump in here being a movie-holic.      We have so many movies of our own that we had decided to watch them in alphabetical order and it took us 2 years to watch them all! We've started over but we have added quite a few more since then.
I absolutely LOVE foreign films. Two of my all time favs are The Cuckoo (Russian/Finnish) and The Man Without a Past (Finnish).  I don't really like the newer Japanese ones. Too much horror/gore for me.
Two of my favorite directors are Aki Kaurismaki and Renny Harlin (both Finnish)
I usually don't go to the movies unless I am being paid to go. (One of the studios will call and ask me to go audit a movie usually opening weekend). The most recent movies I have seen...

Arthur (remake) not too bad for a remake. The original was the best.
X-Men: First Class - I love the X-men series and for me, this one did not disappoint.
Pirates 4 - Gotta love Johnny Depp!
Harry Potter 7 - Glad they stuck with the book for the ending and didn't try to change it.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes  - surprisingly good. Made me homesick where it was set.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 - Loved it!

I know there were a couple more but I can't think of them right now without going through my paperwork.

As far as older movies, we are up to the letter "D" Just watched Day of Wrath with Christopher Lambert (sigh!) Next is Days of Thunder withTom Cruise. Used to really like Tom Cruise not so much any more. We're big NASCAR fans though, I think that's why we like this one so much. Also both of my brothers used to race.

Speaking of changing the ending...How about Forrest Gump? Loved the movie BUT the ending was completely different from the book. I suggest reading both Forrest Gump" and the sequel, "Gump & Co." Both are excellent!

[MooseMom]

Oh Cebushan, I am such a fan of foreign flicks, so I'd be very interested in hearing your Top Ten Foreign Films.  I have not heard of the two you mentioned in your post, so I'll see if I can get those on Netflix.

My husband loves those Japanese horror flicks, but I'm not a real fan.  I feel like I live with enough dread and horror in my real life to find such films entertaining.  But I do like Hong Kong crime films...they are particularly creative.  Spanish horror films are pretty artistic and creative... (The Devil's Backbone comes to mind.

[CebuShan]

Hmmm... Top Ten?! Tough one!   

1) The Cuckoo   

2) The Man Without a Past   

3) Crimson Rivers 1 & 2 (Jean Reno, just love him)   

4) The Duchess of Langeais (Guillaume Depardieu, what a loss when he was killed)   

5)Talk to Her   

6) Downfall   

7) Joyeux Noel   

La Vie En Rose     

9) Pan's Labyrinth       

10) The Lake House (Original Korean Version)   

There are so many more!
If you include British Films:

Anything with Monty Python   
Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson)
 

[cariad]

I started watching Lost In Translation, but so far, I just keep hitting pause and wandering away to do something more interesting.  Unless someone can tell it gets drastically more interesting towards the end, I'm giving up and going to watch the rest of Shaun the Sheep, Season 1.   

Gah! That horrible, horrible film! Run straight to Shaun the Sheep and don't look back, jbeany!

[MooseMom]

Oooh, thanks for the list, CebuShan!  I've seen a couple of those, several more are on my Netflix queue and some I've never even heard of, so I have some great viewing ahead of me!  thanks!

[jbeany]

I started watching Lost In Translation, but so far, I just keep hitting pause and wandering away to do something more interesting.  Unless someone can tell it gets drastically more interesting towards the end, I'm giving up and going to watch the rest of Shaun the Sheep, Season 1.   

Gah! That horrible, horrible film! Run straight to Shaun the Sheep and don't look back, jbeany!

Oh good, it's not just me then!

[Poppylicious]

I've been to the cinema seven times in the last month.  I really need a job.  And a life. 

So, having begun the month with Harry Potter 7.2 and Super 8, I ended it with:

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes (brilliant, loved it); Cowboys and Aliens (brilliant, loved it); The Inbetweeners Movie (although it's been highly successful here, I doubt it will be shown in America - it's a film spin-off from a British comedy tv show about four teenage boys and was just like having to sit through a thirty minute episode which dragged on and on and on and on and on but not being able to go and put the kettle on in the non-existent advert breaks ... *yawn*); Final Destination 5 3D (I love the FD films and I got the twist quite early on which made me happy); Apollo 18 (better than I was expecting because me and the moon don't really get on much).

Last week I accidentally deleted Twilight from my SKY+ box.  Grrr.  I have seen it before, but I don't own it and I fancied some sexy vampire time.  This afternoon I'm planning on settling down with The Crazies (which I love) and later in the week I'll be enjoying some comedic moments with Four Lions (which I also love).

Has anybody seen Fright Night?  I'm in two minds as to whether to toddle off to the cinema to see it. 

If you include British Films:

Anything with Monty Python   
Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson)
 

Oh, us Brits have WAY better films than that!  And foreign?  *chuckles* ... foreign to me is defined by anything 'non-English speaking'.  But that's made me think ... America is foreign but I suppose I know so much about you that you're not, not really.

 

[CebuShan]

Oh, us Brits have WAY better films than that!  And foreign?  *chuckles* ... foreign to me is defined by anything 'non-English speaking'.  But that's made me think ... America is foreign but I suppose I know so much about you that you're not, not really.

 

I agree. I think of only non-English speaking as "foreign" but I have talked to oters who think anything not made by an American studio as foreign.

I LOVE British comedies! "The Full Monty" & "Keeping Mum" are two of my favorites!

A couple of years ago I got my husband the full series of "Are You Being Served?" That is his absolute favorite TV show! As many times as we've watched it, it still makes us roll on the floor!   

[MooseMom]

I really liked Four Lions and also The Infidel, both British comedies that I thought were really cleverly written.

Anyone like Bollywood movies?  We love those in our house!  We like the old-fashioned musical films, but more recently we've been watching some pretty serious Indian movies that we've learned a lot from.  I saw Mr. and Mrs. Iyer at a film festival in London and then again with my husband a few years ago; it was the first Indian film he had ever seen.  We've seen the occasional Indian ghost story that has been really creative.

[mcclane]

many people have already said this, but rise of the planet of the apes was pretty good, some slow spots, but overall, good story.  Explains why the apes got mad at humans, makes you feel for ceasar.

The Mechanic, rented this one a few weeks back.  It was good action. very enjoyable.  Lots of gun play, awesome !  Other than the transporter, I enjoy jason statham movies (ie. Death Race).

I'm a huge fan of all the Saw movies.  I have 2 Billy the puppet plush dolls, one is beside my bed.  Jigsaw always teaches people there are consequences to your actions, and your choices have consequences as well. 

Hostel was good, but hostel 2 was a little bit of a disappointment.

[jbeany]

*shudder*

I don't do horror movies.  Nope, none, sorry, ugh.

[Poppylicious]

Hostel was good, but hostel 2 was a little bit of a disappointment.

Agreed.  Did you know they've made a Hostel 3, based in the US (Las Vegas)? I think it's a direct to DVD, but I don't think it's been released yet.

*shudder*

I don't do horror movies.  Nope, none, sorry, ugh.

Ack, you wuss! 

I love horror, particularly horror that seems as though it 'could happen'.

Anyone like Bollywood movies?

I'll be honest, the closest I've come to a Bollywood film is Slumdog Millionaire. So, um, no.  Do they all have dancing in them?! (That's what's put me off in the past ... I find musicals really difficult to process.)

[mcclane]

Hostel was good, but hostel 2 was a little bit of a disappointment.

Agreed.  Did you know they've made a Hostel 3, based in the US (Las Vegas)? I think it's a direct to DVD, but I don't think it's been released yet.
I love horror, particularly horror that seems as though it 'could happen'.

I've not heard anything about hostel 3, I really enjoyed the first one, so even the slightest news about another hostel, I would've been all over it.

One that I've been wanting to watch is The Human Centipede.  I can't find it on rental anywhere, and i can't justify the $28 buying it brand new either.

I've been watching horror since I was like 5-6.  I remember watching Friday the 13th when i was small.  Awesome !

[Poppylicious]

Hehe, the outlook for Hostel 3 is not good, mostly because Eli Roth isn't involved at all (it's on imdb.com, but there's lots of info if you Google it too.)

Earlier this year one of my students asked me if I'd seen The Human Centipede.  No, I said.  Is it good?  Yeh, let me find you a picture, he said.  And boy, did he find me a picture.  Oi, you're logged on as me, I shrieked.  Bluddy teenagers.  It's been on the tellybox lots over here just recently, but I've not watched it (that damn picture put me off!)

I don't even remember the first horror film I saw.  I do know that when I was nine I wanted to watch The Omen and had a real strop because my brother (who was about thirteen at the time) was allowed to watch it. 

[mcclane]

Hehe, the outlook for Hostel 3 is not good, mostly because Eli Roth isn't involved at all (it's on imdb.com, but there's lots of info if you Google it too.)

Earlier this year one of my students asked me if I'd seen The Human Centipede.  No, I said.  Is it good?  Yeh, let me find you a picture, he said.  And boy, did he find me a picture.  Oi, you're logged on as me, I shrieked.  Bluddy teenagers.  It's been on the tellybox lots over here just recently, but I've not watched it (that damn picture put me off!)

I don't even remember the first horror film I saw.  I do know that when I was nine I wanted to watch The Omen and had a real strop because my brother (who was about thirteen at the time) was allowed to watch it.

i've been watching horror pretty much all my life.  When i was a kid, my parents had no qualms letting me watch horror.  I remember the very first horror i watched (can't remember the name of the movie), but one scene a flying hand hit the windshield of a car.  I couldn't sleep for weeks after that.  Now, even watching the scariest movie, i sleep like a log. 

The Human Centipede - they claim it is anatomically correct, or something like that.

[CebuShan]

  When it comes to "horror" movies, give me the old ones. The ones where you didn't see all the blood and gore        , you used your imagination! Believe me, I have a vivid enough imagination that I don't need to see it! I'm talking movies like "Night of the Living Dead" (the original in B&W) or "The Tingler" ( I remember how scared I was!) or "The Birds" (The day after seeing that, I came out to go to school, the local birds had gotten drunk on Pyracantha berries and were lined up on the wires and fences [just like in the movie]) and, of course, "Psycho" (the original with Anthony Perkins).   
   

[mcclane]

  When it comes to "horror" movies, give me the old ones. The ones where you didn't see all the blood and gore        , you used your imagination! Believe me, I have a vivid enough imagination that I don't need to see it! I'm talking movies like "Night of the Living Dead" (the original in B&W) or "The Tingler" ( I remember how scared I was!) or "The Birds" (The day after seeing that, I came out to go to school, the local birds had gotten drunk on Pyracantha berries and were lined up on the wires and fences [just like in the movie]) and, of course, "Psycho" (the original with Anthony Perkins).   
   

night of the living dead, a classic.  I've watched all of romero's 'dead' movies.  My wife however, hates zombie movies, it gives her nightmares.  Interestingly enough, she enjoyed The Walking Dead on AMC.

[cariad]

*shudder*

I don't do horror movies.  Nope, none, sorry, ugh.

I'm with you there, jbeany. I once told a film aficianado friend that I don't watch horror movies any more, and she immediately said "Oh yeah? Which one got you?" I replied The Ring. I did not feel right for days after seeing it. The only other film that has had that effect on me was Seven, and I have no idea why I did not just give up on the genre with that one. 

[MooseMom]

My husband loves horror...you should see our Netflix queue.  He sneaks a lot of horror films in there.  I tell him that I live with enough dread in my every day life, thank you very much.

His favorite movie is The Ring.  I had seen the Japanese version, and I have to say I liked it.  I hated the American version, though, although it's my husband's number 1 flick.

[jbeany]

Oh, I gave up long before The Ring came out!  I think the Shining was enough for me - I watched it on video when I was about 12, and that was the end of wanting to see horror movies.  I did watch Seven, though - and generally wished I hadn't.  My then-hubby rented it, popped it in and said, "It's a cop movie."  Well, yeah, I suppose.  Ugh.

[mcclane]

Oh, I gave up long before The Ring came out!  I think the Shining was enough for me - I watched it on video when I was about 12, and that was the end of wanting to see horror movies.  I did watch Seven, though - and generally wished I hadn't.  My then-hubby rented it, popped it in and said, "It's a cop movie."  Well, yeah, I suppose.  Ugh.

7 was pretty good, the ending is something you would never expect.

[CebuShan]

I was having a little bit of a down day yesterday.     I think it was the lousy weather. My solution:
My husband & I watched, "We Are Marshall" last night. Great movie and very encouraging for anyone that is ready to quit.   

[MooseMom]

We saw Contagion today, and I have to admit to really liking those disaster movies about epidemics, pandemics, germs, viruses, rampant bacteria and such.

I love previews, and we saw a preview of the American remake of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  I was a little underwhelmed by the original Swedish version.  I felt that the portrayal of Lisbeth Salander, one of the most intriguing characters in fiction today, was a tad bit "cleaner" than in the book, but that's a bit picky, I know.  I wasn't thrilled with the casting of the male lead, and I am hoping Daniel Craig will bring a bit more oomph to it in the new movie (although the character himself was a little dull, especially compared to Lisbeth).  I generally like the original, foreign-language version to the usual tarted up US version, but this just may be an exception.  Still, it was only a preview, but it looked exciting.  I can't wait.

[CebuShan]

We saw Contagion today, and I have to admit to really liking those disaster movies about epidemics, pandemics, germs, viruses, rampant bacteria and such.

I love previews, and we saw a preview of the American remake of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  I was a little underwhelmed by the original Swedish version.  I felt that the portrayal of Lisbeth Salander, one of the most intriguing characters in fiction today, was a tad bit "cleaner" than in the book, but that's a bit picky, I know.  I wasn't thrilled with the casting of the male lead, and I am hoping Daniel Craig will bring a bit more oomph to it in the new movie (although the character himself was a little dull, especially compared to Lisbeth).  I generally like the original, foreign-language version to the usual tarted up US version, but this just may be an exception.  Still, it was only a preview, but it looked exciting.  I can't wait.

I'm not so hot on the epidemic movies (they usually resort to graphic scenes) but I love the books!
I too usually prefer the originals to the US versions. The US almost always has to "change" the movie. The one exception that I have found o far is the "Lake House". The American version was almost exactly like the Korean version. I loved them both!

[Poppylicious]

We saw Contagion today, and I have to admit to really liking those disaster movies about epidemics, pandemics, germs, viruses, rampant bacteria and such. .

Oh, I love films (and tv progs) about virus related end of the world scenarios!  We saw a trailer for Contagion today but it isn't released over here for another six weeks or so. 

We saw TrollHunter (or The Troll Hunter) today, a Norwegian film about ... yep, you guessed didn't you?  Trolls!  It was actually pretty good.  Allegedly there's some talk of Hollywood already wanting to remake it, but with trolls not being part of American legend it would be interesting to see what angle they took.  American backpackers in Norway perhaps ...