I was never into Bazan/Pedro the Lion back in the day. However I still enjoyed this. It was equal parts depressing as Bazan spends a ridiculous amount of time on the road away from his family, musing over his decisions and stepping away from christianity and his drinking problem; and equally uplifting and a good reminder to spend as much time with your family/kids whenever you can.
I went into this movie wondering how a man in womans clothing could be rated so highly. It started out strongly an there were a lot of laughs, and I am glad that it moved past the simple gags of the train and moved to a more interesting and somewhat serious plotline. Having never seen Monroe in a full movie, I understand her appeal now. Like so many of the 'top films' it was impressive to see so many progressive topics in a movie still officially under the banner of the hays code.
really confronting and well done. Deeyah Khan has a lot of courage to stand in front of white nationalists as a brown skinned person and ask tough questions
this is not the sort of film that is going to win republicans over and make them think that cheney/bush were bad people. This is very much a preaching to the choir (read: left) movie as it points out how much of a monster Cheney became as it absolutely skewers him for his misdeeds - and I loved every moment of it. Very funny in parts, excellent performances and a great narrative that helps explain the current state of the world to a causal non-political leftist. Thoroughly enjoyable but doesn't ask you to check your brain at the door either. Stay a few minutes for a bonus scene for a final wink from writer Adam MacKay about the way that he see's the divide between left and right currently.
the first act was surely absurdist and I got quite a few laughs. The break and transfer from one setting to the other was jarring and made me feel like it lost momentum. However the relationship between the two captains was good and a good nod to the absurdity of war between two respected men. the last act was really enjoyable and one that was a good ending. however I think i'll largely forget the first two acts.
I liked this and was surprised by the depth and complexity of the story. The setting was very picturesque, so much that I wished that it were set in widescreen. The arc and subtly of Shane’s character was well done if not predictable but satisfying. The scene in which Ryker explains his side of the story to the Starrett family actually gained some sympathy from me, despite their obvious problems. I liked that Shane stepped out of his western cowboy role, and then back into it. However I felt that it lost a little steam in the middle section, with not much new development for the settlers other than repeated claims of ‘we need to get out of here’. Joey’s love of Shane was quaint but believable, but the constant refrain of “shaaaaaannnne, shaaaaaannne, come back!” were a quite grating.
I liked this right up until the end when I found it a little soft. The build-up was good, I especially liked the use of time/clocks to build tension. The strong female characters were interesting for the period in which it was filmed. The sparse town and townspeople as they gradually turned away from the sheriff was interesting and different compared to most westerns, which was obviously why its considered a western for non-western fans. However the backstory of the screenwriter and the Un-American committee was especially interesting, and perhaps more interesting than the film itself. Tid-bits about how popular it is in the White house, John Wayne hating it and a reference to High Noon in Die Hard is quite cool. I liked it more than I expected and given the historical significance it does help explain the sudden and predictable ending. I suspect the theme here is universal and one that I’ll be referencing and seeing in other genre’s time and time again.
I liked it, but not as much as the critics do, which I think is mainly due to its political message. Lots of people complain about it being too heavy handed in it's message, which I was ok with, and actually enjoyed. The ending especially. However I felt that it was too long, the ending of the narrative section not very satisfying, and the music was hard to bear, even if it was period, it was distracting for me.
I quite liked this and really felt that it was a good 'call to action" to get one to live well. It definitely has me thinking about that the day after viewing it. Hopefully for a while to come. like I believe some others have said, I felt that the third act with the co-workers sitting around didn't quite flow or work for me and I wish that the story had played out in a more natural narrative than it did. however, it was still great.
I'd been meaning to watch this for years, and I am so glad that I finally did. the performances were great, the framing of the shots made for a very intense, claustrophobic feel. But more than that the screenplay and character development was incredible. The film was super effective at making you realise that everyone is really trying to do things out of mostly honourable and reasonable intentions. Nobody is black and white. really liked it.
this was so damn good! super tense, and the film really made you believe in the danger of the explosives. super well edited and timed. and it didn't pull any punches which made it worth it. I really liked the ending even though others didn't. highly recommended.
I liked this. especially the framing of each scene and the still camera. it really conveyed a sense of stagnation on the behalf of the elderly couple whilst their children and life moved all around them.
a great film and a good reminder about the importance of family.
eh, I feel like this is rated higher than it should be. it's great that it's a basically all black cast with a black director for black audiences so that's wonderful. However the second half is still a stereotypical superhero movie that's quite predictable. the dialogue was poor and the ending wasn't very revolutionary or inspiring. it even basically told minorities not to challenge the system, but to work within it through charity work.
kinda a weak movie and just like everything else in the boring genre of superhero's. but a good step forward for black stories being told on screen so that's nice and likely leads to the high critic ratings.
I came across this movie after reading an article in The Guardian that claimed that this movie is the second best war movie ever made. I went in with doubts about this claim, only to have them quickly assuaged. I am by no means a war movie expert, but I can easily see how this claim is mostly true.
The movie is very unlike traditional (read, popular) war movies that present one side as right and holy, and the other as morally bankrupt and evil. And rightly so. The movie asks us to sympathise with terrorists who bomb and kill innocent civilians in café’s, and whilst not painting those actions as good or without pause, it succeeds in allowing the audience to understand these actions. Something that in a western post 9/11 world we rarely see.
Interesting that the historical overthrowing of the French rule of Algeria came not through specific armed conflict but through protest. No doubt influenced by the actions of the FLN. Even more so, that Algeria is now ruled mostly through long term unelected officials. History always repeats itself.
This movie stuck with me and will no doubt change my thought process whenever an armed conflict next comes up in the media. Rarely are our ‘enemies’ terrible, and rarely are ‘we’ the west right. This film does a great job explaining this, without being in your face and preachy. Very well done.
I have such a hard time rating bollywood films like this. This is the 3rd bollywood film that I've seen in the imdb top 250 and by far it was the worst. it's like an interesting mix of American Pie with a dash of The Pursuit of Happyness. It has lots of nice heartfelt moments, and the message is good-ish. But the Principal and Pia's ex-fiance are such charactures. The writing is poor with lots of cliche's such as
"Do you love someone?" "Yes......You!"
that couldn't it be more predictable. As others have said the start is way too long and the length of the movie speaks for itself. It certainly is fun and light, and it should have handled the
suicide's
better, but if you're seriously into film, there is no way you could rank this as the 91st best film of all time. The setting of the final scene was gorgeous however.
this is the second Bollywood film I have seen, after Like Stars on Earth and I have to say I liked Dangal a lot more. Expectations do make a big difference I guess and going in with such low ones, helped me to appreciate Dangal for what it was. It was cheesy, and all of the historical innacuracies were easy to spot
the last match was not a nail biter, the coach was not an arse, the father was not locked in a storage room
, so that took it down a few marks for me. the father forcing his daughters into the sport when they didn't want to was a shame, but I'm glad it was at least partially addressed with the young bride's comments.
I preferred the music montage's in this film over other Bollywood's literal song and dances. So certainly there are some fun and light parts to this movie that I enjoyed it for what it was. but as others have said it doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the best sports movie of all time, or to be in the top IMDB lists.
this is the first film that I have seen with Bogart as the villain and was drawn to watch it as I was in the mood for a western. Obviously there is some discussion about whether it's a western or not, however
even though it wasn't what I set out to watch, I really enjoyed it. The character of Dobbs was interesting, and I especially liked Howard as the old and wise goat. It was fairly obvious to me whilst watching it
what the general theme of the ending was going to be, but the story and message was well rounded out that it drew me in, rather than turned me off. I find the prevelance of the more gritty realism of Dobbs actions over older Hollywood's more traditional values to be much more satisfying which also helped me enjoy this one.
My only complaint being that I wish that the character of Cody had stuck around longer, so that the ending actions of Howard and Curtain were more fully justified.
Comments 1 - 20 of 20
Movie comment on Strange Negotiations
canaan
I was never into Bazan/Pedro the Lion back in the day. However I still enjoyed this. It was equal parts depressing as Bazan spends a ridiculous amount of time on the road away from his family, musing over his decisions and stepping away from christianity and his drinking problem; and equally uplifting and a good reminder to spend as much time with your family/kids whenever you can.Movie comment on Some Like It Hot
canaan
I went into this movie wondering how a man in womans clothing could be rated so highly. It started out strongly an there were a lot of laughs, and I am glad that it moved past the simple gags of the train and moved to a more interesting and somewhat serious plotline. Having never seen Monroe in a full movie, I understand her appeal now. Like so many of the 'top films' it was impressive to see so many progressive topics in a movie still officially under the banner of the hays code.Movie comment on ITV Exposure: White Right: Meeting the Enemy
canaan
really confronting and well done. Deeyah Khan has a lot of courage to stand in front of white nationalists as a brown skinned person and ask tough questionsMovie comment on Vice
canaan
this is not the sort of film that is going to win republicans over and make them think that cheney/bush were bad people. This is very much a preaching to the choir (read: left) movie as it points out how much of a monster Cheney became as it absolutely skewers him for his misdeeds - and I loved every moment of it. Very funny in parts, excellent performances and a great narrative that helps explain the current state of the world to a causal non-political leftist. Thoroughly enjoyable but doesn't ask you to check your brain at the door either. Stay a few minutes for a bonus scene for a final wink from writer Adam MacKay about the way that he see's the divide between left and right currently.Movie comment on La grande illusion
canaan
the first act was surely absurdist and I got quite a few laughs. The break and transfer from one setting to the other was jarring and made me feel like it lost momentum. However the relationship between the two captains was good and a good nod to the absurdity of war between two respected men. the last act was really enjoyable and one that was a good ending. however I think i'll largely forget the first two acts.Movie comment on Shane
canaan
I liked this and was surprised by the depth and complexity of the story. The setting was very picturesque, so much that I wished that it were set in widescreen. The arc and subtly of Shane’s character was well done if not predictable but satisfying. The scene in which Ryker explains his side of the story to the Starrett family actually gained some sympathy from me, despite their obvious problems. I liked that Shane stepped out of his western cowboy role, and then back into it. However I felt that it lost a little steam in the middle section, with not much new development for the settlers other than repeated claims of ‘we need to get out of here’. Joey’s love of Shane was quaint but believable, but the constant refrain of “shaaaaaannnne, shaaaaaannne, come back!” were a quite grating.Movie comment on High Noon
canaan
I liked this right up until the end when I found it a little soft. The build-up was good, I especially liked the use of time/clocks to build tension. The strong female characters were interesting for the period in which it was filmed. The sparse town and townspeople as they gradually turned away from the sheriff was interesting and different compared to most westerns, which was obviously why its considered a western for non-western fans. However the backstory of the screenwriter and the Un-American committee was especially interesting, and perhaps more interesting than the film itself. Tid-bits about how popular it is in the White house, John Wayne hating it and a reference to High Noon in Die Hard is quite cool. I liked it more than I expected and given the historical significance it does help explain the sudden and predictable ending. I suspect the theme here is universal and one that I’ll be referencing and seeing in other genre’s time and time again.Movie comment on BlacKkKlansman
canaan
I liked it, but not as much as the critics do, which I think is mainly due to its political message. Lots of people complain about it being too heavy handed in it's message, which I was ok with, and actually enjoyed. The ending especially. However I felt that it was too long, the ending of the narrative section not very satisfying, and the music was hard to bear, even if it was period, it was distracting for me.Movie comment on Ikiru
canaan
I quite liked this and really felt that it was a good 'call to action" to get one to live well. It definitely has me thinking about that the day after viewing it. Hopefully for a while to come. like I believe some others have said, I felt that the third act with the co-workers sitting around didn't quite flow or work for me and I wish that the story had played out in a more natural narrative than it did. however, it was still great.Movie comment on Jodaeiye Nader az Simin
canaan
I'd been meaning to watch this for years, and I am so glad that I finally did. the performances were great, the framing of the shots made for a very intense, claustrophobic feel. But more than that the screenplay and character development was incredible. The film was super effective at making you realise that everyone is really trying to do things out of mostly honourable and reasonable intentions. Nobody is black and white. really liked it.Movie comment on Le salaire de la peur
canaan
this was so damn good! super tense, and the film really made you believe in the danger of the explosives. super well edited and timed. and it didn't pull any punches which made it worth it. I really liked the ending even though others didn't. highly recommended.Movie comment on Tôkyô monogatari
canaan
I liked this. especially the framing of each scene and the still camera. it really conveyed a sense of stagnation on the behalf of the elderly couple whilst their children and life moved all around them.a great film and a good reminder about the importance of family.
Movie comment on Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
canaan
better than the previous Jurassic World. But the evils of the money grabbers and the military were trite and predictableMovie comment on Pickpocket
canaan
this was great. a good followup for me after really enjoying a man escapedMovie comment on Black Panther
canaan
eh, I feel like this is rated higher than it should be. it's great that it's a basically all black cast with a black director for black audiences so that's wonderful. However the second half is still a stereotypical superhero movie that's quite predictable. the dialogue was poor and the ending wasn't very revolutionary or inspiring. it even basically told minorities not to challenge the system, but to work within it through charity work.kinda a weak movie and just like everything else in the boring genre of superhero's. but a good step forward for black stories being told on screen so that's nice and likely leads to the high critic ratings.
Movie comment on La battaglia di Algeri
canaan
I came across this movie after reading an article in The Guardian that claimed that this movie is the second best war movie ever made. I went in with doubts about this claim, only to have them quickly assuaged. I am by no means a war movie expert, but I can easily see how this claim is mostly true.The movie is very unlike traditional (read, popular) war movies that present one side as right and holy, and the other as morally bankrupt and evil. And rightly so. The movie asks us to sympathise with terrorists who bomb and kill innocent civilians in café’s, and whilst not painting those actions as good or without pause, it succeeds in allowing the audience to understand these actions. Something that in a western post 9/11 world we rarely see.
Interesting that the historical overthrowing of the French rule of Algeria came not through specific armed conflict but through protest. No doubt influenced by the actions of the FLN. Even more so, that Algeria is now ruled mostly through long term unelected officials. History always repeats itself.
This movie stuck with me and will no doubt change my thought process whenever an armed conflict next comes up in the media. Rarely are our ‘enemies’ terrible, and rarely are ‘we’ the west right. This film does a great job explaining this, without being in your face and preachy. Very well done.
Movie comment on 3 Idiots
canaan
I have such a hard time rating bollywood films like this. This is the 3rd bollywood film that I've seen in the imdb top 250 and by far it was the worst. it's like an interesting mix of American Pie with a dash of The Pursuit of Happyness. It has lots of nice heartfelt moments, and the message is good-ish. But the Principal and Pia's ex-fiance are such charactures. The writing is poor with lots of cliche's such asMovie comment on Dangal
canaan
this is the second Bollywood film I have seen, after Like Stars on Earth and I have to say I liked Dangal a lot more. Expectations do make a big difference I guess and going in with such low ones, helped me to appreciate Dangal for what it was. It was cheesy, and all of the historical innacuracies were easy to spotI preferred the music montage's in this film over other Bollywood's literal song and dances. So certainly there are some fun and light parts to this movie that I enjoyed it for what it was. but as others have said it doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the best sports movie of all time, or to be in the top IMDB lists.
Movie comment on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
canaan
this is the first film that I have seen with Bogart as the villain and was drawn to watch it as I was in the mood for a western. Obviously there is some discussion about whether it's a western or not, howevereven though it wasn't what I set out to watch, I really enjoyed it. The character of Dobbs was interesting, and I especially liked Howard as the old and wise goat. It was fairly obvious to me whilst watching it
what the general theme of the ending was going to be, but the story and message was well rounded out that it drew me in, rather than turned me off. I find the prevelance of the more gritty realism of Dobbs actions over older Hollywood's more traditional values to be much more satisfying which also helped me enjoy this one.
My only complaint being that I wish that the character of Cody had stuck around longer, so that the ending actions of Howard and Curtain were more fully justified.
Movie comment on Ladri di biciclette
canaan
this was great. a simple film with touching characters and a