V for Vendetta
This was an interesting movie, in some ways it seemed a bit like a combination of
Fatherland and Nineteen Eighty Four. I haven't seen the film of Nineteen Eighty Four though, just read the book. I think the main importance difference between it and Fatherland, apart from the obvious different settings, was that V for Vendetta is a bit more pro terrorism. I don't mean that like a Fox News announcer might say it, I mean, it is pro terrorism in a kind of "smart" way. It also involves false flag terrorist ideas. The portrayal of an England without minorities was interesting as well. I think the problem with films dealing with minorities in the West is that it's completely unacceptable, in many ways, to show them behaving badly at all. All you can do is show white people acting like Nazis, it's a bit of tired script and it shows that nobody really knows how to deal with the prospect of minorities ceasing to be minorities, or at least the demographics getting a bit more like Lebanon.
Good Points:
> Relatively original ideas, for a film
> Few stereotypical characters
> Addresses ideas that need to be addressed, not saying I agree with the movie makers though
Bad Points:
> Natalie Portman's acting is quite bad
> Some plot holes, unless I just didn't understand
> The dystopia is one of those typical ones that British films tend to have, like Thunderpants, that are incredibly childish in their feel, I don't know what it is, if it's the colours, the acting or what, but it's a far cry from kitchen sink dramas about miners
> It seems to have been made to be dual purpose: kids action superhero film and deep thought provoking film, well it isn't especially brilliant at either, just decent as the later, but quite bad as the former.
7/10
The War Lord (1965)
I quite liked this but I think a lot of people wouldn't. The thing about it is that it's never really boring, which is impressive given its age and genre, or maybe just age. The battle scenes are all pretty good, better than some you see in much later films. The production values aren't great, but it does what it needs to do. Quite good really, for what it is.
7/10
Sorcerer
This was really amazing. One of the best films I've ever seen. Brilliant film making, brilliant story, just the right amount of tension, story and action. Wipes the floor with most modern films. Funny how it didn't do very well and few seem to have heard of it. Really, really good. It isn't about a "Sorcerer" btw, just so you know. That isn't really a spoiler.
10/10
To Live and Die in LA
This is really rather good, but it kind of makes me feel sick of the 80s, despite not existing whatsoever during that decade. The amorality and everything gets a bit stuck in the back of your throat and it reminds you of it being in pretty much all the other similar 80s films. Anyway, very well made action thriller. Better than most by far.
8/10
2012
This was really shit. Here are all the main issues:
> Every single character is a stereotype
> It's overly long, with lots of repetition in terms of the action
> The underlying story is much more simple than the film makers seem to understand
> They massively over do the "only just making it" action scene, there are about 10 of them
> Nothing interesting happens at any point
> CGI wank fest, you don't need that many scenes of destruction in a film
> No real love interest
> The shitty All American speeches
> The music sounds like it's been in about 500 different Hollywood films since the mid 90s
No real good points, but the acting isn't especially bad. Basically it's your standard awful family movie. I would have been really pissed off if I'd seen this in a cinema and had to sit through it all at once.
4/10
I see it's by the guy who did Stargate, he's one to avoid then, Roland Emmerich.
The Graduate
Decent enough film, nothing amazing. Upper class 1960s America comes off as very claustrophobic and regimented, I suppose that's part of the point. It's decent as a kind of coming of age film, better than the vulgar 80s and 90s ones anyway, but it's not a masterpiece. He is kind of degenerate and he has unreasonable expectations of people.
7/10
Until the End of the World
This is a weird film. I watched the 4 Hour directors cut, which is, predictably, far too long to be reasonably watchable. There are good points about this film though. The flow of the film makes it seem more like life than a standard film. There are very good ideas in the film and mostly good acting. The bad parts are that a lot of tedious things happen and the minor characters are as bad as jar jar binks. The reason why this is a good film is the ideas, it doesn't tell a narrative badly, but it's not done in a gripping way at all.
7/10
Stargate
This was a bit of a let down. Nothing special really.
5/10
Three Days of the Condor
Quite a good 70s Spy Thriller. Faye Dunaway is cute a hostage. Quite good acting and decent story.
7/10
Terminator Salvation
I thought this was pretty good, better than T3 anyway. There maybe is too much action and too little story though.
7/10