Mafiascum Movie Club

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I know this isn't the right thread for this... Sorry.

Cube (Natali - Canadian)
Rashomon (Kurosawa - Japanese)
Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky)
Pi (Aronofsky)
Memento (Nolan)
Donnie Darko (Kelly)
Amores Perros (Gonzalez Inarritu- Mexico)
Brazil (Gilliam - UK)
Kalifornia (Sena)

Cube (Natali - Canadian) - I really like this movie. However, I did not enjoy Hypercube.
Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky) - Pretty good...
Pi (Aronofsky) - ...But I liked this one better!
Memento (Nolan) - Interesting concept, and I definitely enjoyed watching it. But not so sure about it's "movie value". I need to see it again, I guess.
Donnie Darko (Kelly) - Pretty good, but it was hyped so much it was a bit of a letdown for me.
Brazil (Gilliam - UK) - Love this. But I like anything by Gilliam. Need to pick up the special edition release.
Kalifornia (Sena) - I know I've seen this one, but don't remember much about it.

Considering I generally liked the others listed, I will be on the lookout for Rashomon and Amorres Perros. Thanks for the suggestions!

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Well, if MeMe didn't mind me doing

that

, then I will do this!

My list of (slightly) obscure films that I think more people should see:

Adaptation
Amelie
Barton Fink
The City of Lost Children
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Hudsucker Proxy
Jacob's Ladder
Lost Highway
Mulholland Dr.
Songs from the Second Floor
Twelve Monkeys

And I see Dr. Strangelove is coming up for the club. Excellent!

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Well, I wasn't following too closely before, I haven't had the time to watch movies much recently.

However, I have seen most of them, so if you don't mind a grade from my memory I'll gladly oblige. Of course, I'm not good at lengthy reviews, so don't expect more than a line or two.

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Alrighty...

A Beautiful Mind

: I saw this the weekend it was released. Being a native of West Virginia, the local media made a pretty big deal out of it being a movie about John Nash. However, as others have mentioned, it really wasn't about John Nash at all. In the end, it was a good movie, just not the biography I was expecting.

B

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Nash co-invented HEX and nothing was mentioned? As a gamer I'm horribly offended.

It's been awhile, but I too was looking for that during the movie. While it was never directly mentioned, I think that was implied with the bit about him solving his issue with Go. Didn't they even show the board at some point?

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...Adaptation (have to watch Being John Malkovich first)...

Yeah, I usually tell people to watch Being John Malkovich before Adaptation as well.

I definitely liked it, too, but Adaptation really blew me away. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was good, as well, but I wouldn't consider it to be as obscure as Adaptation. Most people have heard of it.


And, if you liked Amelie, make sure and check out The City of Lost Children. It is another Jean-Pierre Jeunet film. Definitely much darker than Amelie (of course that wouldn't take much), but still fantastical and, well, bizarre.

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eXistenZ

It's a David Cronenberg film. I've been meaning to watch it again because I don't remember much about it.

And in that same grouping of SciFi "What is reality?" movies released in the late 90's, check out the first one (and my favorite),

Dark City

.

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Heh... Guess I've never tried. That would be an interesting discourse.

Unfortunately, I've only seen Requiem for a Dream once, and it's been a few years since I last saw Dark City. They are both on my "to-buy" list, but I'm not a big movie buyer so it might be awhile before I get to them.

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Oh, just realized I never put up my grade for The Thirteenth Floor...

The Thirteenth Floor

- It's been a few years, but I still remember my overall feelings. Basically, it's a C+. The C is because anytime I have to try not to think too much to enjoy a movie, it automatically drops to a C. The '+' is because I'm a sucker for sci-fi movies, and once I got past the issues I had with it, I generally enjoyed it. Of course, haven't we seen this a few times on Star Trek: The Next Generation's Holodeck?

C+

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

- Easily among my favorite movies. I first watched it on a whim (probably 10 years ago, now), not sure what to expect. I liked it then, and love it even more now. It might be dated, but I think it still stands up to today's standards with ease.

A+

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Dr. Strangelove...

Second viewing (first saw 5+ years ago).

Much better this time around...the first time, I watched it alone in the middle of the afternoon and my overwhelming feeling was "how overrated can you

get

"? I usually note where and with whom I watch films because I realize that mood has a great deal to do with enjoyment.

Also, what you have heard about a movie before you've seen it can greatly change your view. With Dr. Strangelove, I hadn't heard much more than a passing comment from a friend about it. Even if I didn't like the movie I couldn't have thought overrated.

But if I'm going to praise the comedic acting in this one, I have to give George C. Scott the bulk of my applause. Everything he

did

had me grinning like a fool.

That was my thought, especially the more I viewed it over the years.

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The Cutting Edge

Haven't seen it in probably 10 years. However, when it was released on video and then on cable, my sister (and therefore the rest of us) viewed it countless times.

Well, there's not much to say that hasn't been said already. But I guess I liked it even less than most.

D

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Whale Rider

Huh? I don't get it.

I mean, I get the movie part; I got it within the first 5 minutes. I'm lost on why it is so highly praised. I did find the cultural exploration interesting, just like I find most shows on TLC interesting. But as a movie I found it lacking -- predictable right from the start.

Removing all of the praise which led to the letdown, it is still a decent movie. The documentary aspects are especially interesting. But all in all, not anything I'd go out of my way to view again.

C

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The Village

: I didn't think it was as bad as everyone told me. But that might have something to do with expectations. I even made sure to avoid critical reviews and expanded trailers so I wouldn't know too much before seeing it (which I do with any movie that I have any interest in).

All in all, I was entertained. Yeah, I figured it out pretty quick, and there were way too many issues that didn't make sense when you compare it to his other three films; it just didn't seem as polished as the The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs, all of which I enjoyed and would probably rate them in the B+ range. The Village?

C

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I just realized I used "all in all" in my last two reviews.

I gotta expand my repertoire...

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EdTV

I, too, preferred The Truman Show, but when I finally got around to seeing this one a couple years later I did find it enjoyable. Nothing amazing, though.

B-

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Bubba Ho-tep

I love horror in any form, but especially B-movie/cheesy/campy/low-budget horror. So naturally, I have a little place in my heart for Bruce Campbell for his role in the classic Evil Dead movies. Sure, he's not a great actor, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying him in any role. I probably would've seen this eventually even if he wasn't in it, but him playing the lead definitely brought it to my attention much faster.

This movie is goofy to the extreme, but not stupid for the sake of being stupid. It is filmed in a generally serious manner, and while low-budget, it doesn't stand out for having horrible effects. It might seem slow in spots, but this is a character driven horror and not your average shock-fest. Which brings me to an unanswerable question: What genre is this? Is it really a horror? Is it a comedy? Is it a drama/buddy-film? Or is it some combination of all-of-the-above?

As for Bruce Campbell, well, I have to say that for this movie he doesn't shine the way I imagined when first hearing the premise. In fact, for me he was greatly over-shadowed by Ossie Davis. Ossie does an amazing job of portraying his wacky character in such a way that I can feel that he really believes what he's saying. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing that role and pulling it off so deftly.

So, is it a great movie? Doubtful. Is it for everyone? Certainly not. But for those of you who enjoy this kind of campy horror, you should at least give it a try. For me?

B+

----

"I'm thinking with

sand

here!"

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Cube

This movie really impressed me when I saw it several years ago. One set and a bunch of unknown actors doesn't sound like a good movie, but they managed to make a pretty original and intense sci-fi horror.

B+

And for my next pick, how about a childhood favorite:

True Stories

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Run Lola Run

I enjoyed this one; unpredictable, interesting premise, and decently executed. If I remember correctly, I wasn't to keen on the male lead's acting, but it didn't detract a lot from the experience... and I might be thinking of another movie. Sorry for the vague review, but it has been a while since I've seen it. Maybe I'll get some time soon to go back and revisit some of these.

B

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Run Lola Run

The concept was interesting. I have seen similar things before, but this movie really put it to use best. I would give it an A, but I flat out hated the supernatural shit. That just gnawed at me everytime they did it. Something about the chicks attitude I didnt like as well, maybe I sensed a selfishness about both of them. Screw you all, we come first type of thing. I cant quite figure it out.

Grade: B

Hmm, I think I really need to watch this one again. While some insignificant things seemed to have made an impression (I remember most of what has been mentioned so far in this thread), I don't remember anything supernatural... except maybe her scream shattering the glass. I do kind of agree with the attitude sentiment, though.

I'll be re-reviewing sometime this week, most likely.

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I don't think so. That is pretty much the whole point of the movie. And I'm not sure I would consider it supernatural as much as "what if?" like Sliding Doors, instead of "getting another chance" as in Groundhog Day.

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Hey now! (Which is also the name that the kids sang in True Stories.)

Internet Stranger only has one more review than I have, and I'm getting to them. I promise.

Glad you enjoyed the majority of True Stories. It was one of my first favorite movies as a child, and one of those movies that I still try to watch every few months. And even though it might be the worst Talking Heads CD, I still love that soundtrack.