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Copying Beethoven | 6.7 | 14K | 105 | 78 | In an interview with The Guardian on August 11, 2007, Ed Harris stated that his biggest disappointment has been "The distribution of Copying Beethoven in the US." He also claimed the most important lesson life has taught him is "Don't let MGM distribute a film you care about.",The movie is set in 1824 during the composition of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Throughout the movie Beethoven is shown to be hard of hearing but quite capable of understanding people who speak loudly. In reality, Beethoven had totally lost his hearing seven years earlier (1817). The 9th Symphony was composed while he was completely deaf.,Ludwig van Beethoven: The vibrations on the air are the breath of God speaking to man's soul. Music is the language of God. We musicians are as close to God as man can be. We hear his voice, we read his lips, we give birth to the children of God, who sing his praise. That's what musicians are.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: A Good Year/Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus/For Your Consideration/Harsh Times/Copying Beethoven (2006),String Quartet No. 15 in A minor Op. 132
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by The Takács Quartet
Courtesy of Decca Music Group Limited, part of Universal Music Group International,This is a colorful, enchanting though superficial fictional semi-biography of Ludwig Van Beethoven (Ed Harris) kissed with genius. His last days are brought to life in this entertaining drama musical . This 104 minutes film gives you a splendid idea of the most famous classical music composer .The picture concerns about the tempestuous relationship between a young girl (Diane Kruger) who works as copyist and the excellent musician. A number of factual liberties are taken is this imaginative screen-biography of the history's great composer but it doesn't matter because is also based on real events, as his problematic relation submerged by dramatics with his nephew Karl Van Beethoven(Joe Anderson). Not too bad as biopic go, but musical talent and Ed Harris interpretation is definitely the star in this production. Beethoven's music is the highlight of the film as when he directs the orchestra amid the strains of symphonies 5,7 9,¨Ode to joy¨ and she helps him .
It's a stunning film full of superb music, literate, wit and an immensely dramatic fire. The picture contains some striking visual images ,lavish setting, terrific period piece with realistic scenario for the XIX century filmed on location in Budapest,Hungary, besides nifty brilliant costumes. Ed Harris delivers a convincing portrayal, sometimes a little bit exaggerated, of the popular composer whose music is become immortal. Ed Harris(nominated for Academy Award by ¨Pollock¨) acting is magnificent, he expresses musical genius and a first class finger-matching and musical conductor of Beethoven's music has a glorious sweep. The German actress Diane Kruger(Troy,National treasure) is beautiful and gorgeous, she is resolute but vulnerable in the role as copyist and admirer of the greatest composer she has ever heard. The Academy of Ancient Music Orchestra and soloists contributed to the splendid soundtrack. Atmospheric and glimmer cinematography by Ashley Rowe is simply stunning. The motion picture is well directed by Agnieszka Holland. Devotees of the music will appeal this film which is a fine tribute to the master., |
Coral Reef Adventure | 6.8 | 601 | 11 | 14 | Five new species of fish were discovered during filming.,Carry Me
Written & Performed by David Crosby
Published by Sony / ATV Songs LLC / Stay Straight Music (BMI)
Courtesy of MCA Records, under license from Universal Music Enterprises,The shots are beautiful. The not so subtle message is not. This movie had the potential to be great art, but fails miserably because of the preachy ness of its message. It is worth seeing because of the footage of under water beauty. The images of the dying reefs are powerful enough without the politicized sermon. A few words of explanation would have been more than enough, but in the end we are left with propaganda instead of art. One scene contains images of several small children with earnest expressions as the narrator tells us explicitly that the children depend upon a healthy reef. I found myself rolling my eyes as I was hit over the head with "the message". I care about children, but this scene tries too hard causing it to fail. Instead of being engaged by the movie I found it very disappointing., |
Coraline | 7.7 | 256K | 516 | 348 | The character Wybie Lovat is not in Neil Gaiman's novel. He exists so Coraline would not have to talk to herself and so she would have a friend her age.,The house's living room changes places several times throughout the film.,Coraline Jones: How can you walk away from something and then come towards it?
Cat: Walk around the world.
Coraline Jones: Small world.,Partway through the credits, behind the scenes footage of the mice swirling around the portal is shown, giving a look at the process of animating in front of the blue screen.,There are two versions available. Runtimes are: "1 hr 40 min (100 min), 1 hr 45 min (105 min) (extended cut) (USA).",Featured in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: Coraline (2009),Sirens of the Sea
Performed by Michele Mariana
Written by Henry Selick
Copyright (c) 2007 Henry Selick,When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. She finds a hidden door with a bricked up passage. During the night, she crosses the passage and finds a parallel world where everybody has buttons instead of eyes, with caring parents and all her dreams coming true. When the Other Mother invites Coriline to stay in her world forever, the girl refuses and finds that the alternate reality where she is trapped is only a trick to lure her.
"Coraline" is a dark and creepy animation that follows the style of Tim Burton in "Corpse Bride" or "The Nightmare Before Christmas" with non- likable characters. In addition, there is no subtle message for children. Therefore, it seems to be primarily recommended to adult audiences. The nightmarish environment is supported by awesome cinematography and a great music score. None of the characters is totally likable .My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Coraline", |
Le Corbeau | 7.5 | 195K | 690 | 161 | Although he was not at fault for the death of Brandon Lee, Michael Massee stopped acting for a year because he was so traumatized by the incident. (His next film was a small role in Se7en (1995).) Up until his death in 2016, he had never watched the film.,(at around 1h 29 mins) Shelly is shown being defibrillated while fully-clothed. Defibrillators are used only on bare skin.,[last lines]
Sarah: [voiceover] If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever.,The end credits opened with the message "For Brandon and Eliza".,Two different work prints are available. One is 122 minutes long and other is 103 minutes long. Some scenes that were cut for R rating are uncut in both of the work prints.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: That's Entertainment III/3 Ninjas Kick Back/Being Human/Dream Lover/Kika (1994),Burn
Performed by The Cure
Courtesy of Fiction Records Ltd. (worldwide), Elektra Entertainment (in U.S. and Canada), Warner Music (Australia and New Zealand) and Polydor Records (all other territories)
Written by Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Boris Williams, Perry Bamonte
Produced by and Bryan 'Chuck' New,The only thing i can say is that when i left the movie theater then i had no comment to give... This movie got to me deep! I was 14 and now i am 25,and still i remember it so well and i still watch it sometimes.. Brandon Lee did a great job as an actor like everyone else, but the story about his death is totally insane, which made me worship the movie even more. What an irony. I like the movie cause it's dark, but also lighted up with true emotions..there is action, horror, love, even poetry for god sake! I have never seen so many genre's in one movie. Anyway for me it has been one of the best movies i have ever watched. And one more comment, lots of of other movies got ideas from The Crow, meaning the setting, the action, music, whatever it is the crow was their start up. I am not going to name them, Crow fans probably know what i am talking about.. My favorite quote: "Can't rain all the time" By the way the soundtrack's are awesome, The Cure's best song ever made is in it! P.S. The Crow II and III sucked, i hated it. They just ruined the conception of the first one.. totally.., |
Corbett and Courtney Before the Kinetograph | 5.4 | 841 | 7 | 2 | All six rounds of the this actual boxing match were filmed and distributed for viewing to the public. Only part of the first round is preserved; the last five have apparently been lost.,Featured in Before the Nickelodeon: The Early Cinema of Edwin S. Porter (1982),1894 was a big year for the Edison company, for it was the very year where their fame began to spread. While the earliest public showings of films in America had actually been in 1893 the year before (or arguably 1891, if you consider the 149 women in Edison's laboratory being shown "Dickson Greeting" a public demonstration) it was 1894 when the company really began to prosper after the completion of the Black Maria studio the previous year. Oftentimes, to get in on the popularity of the various sensations of the era, a performer or athlete would often be hired to come down to the studio in order to be filmed performing their routine. You had people like Eugen Sandow, the famous strongman being filmed several times; Annabelle Moore the serpentine dancer, Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter, etc.
Another kind of act that the company was really into shooting was boxing, and this was probably because of how low-brow (and even illegal in certain places) it was considered to be at the time. Thus, by filming the matches in secret and then distributing them for public viewing, audiences would be allowed to view such sport without getting in trouble. Ultimately, this is what would lead to the rise of the sport as we know it today--and that's why it was such a common theme among filmmakers (and it's not just Edison I'm talking about either, Veriscope also created what is now considered to be the world's first feature length boxing movie, "The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight").
"Corbett and Courtney Before the Kinetograph" is another one of those boxing movies, and is apparently the second boxing match Edison filmed that showed actual boxers ("The Leonard-Cushing Fight" is reportedly the first). Before the company had officially formed, some of the earliest camera tests made in 1891 and 1892 were of boxing matches. There was the famous "Men Boxing" (1891) but that film was a mere experimental work never released, and featuring amateurs instead of professionals; another early movie in the genre was "Boxing" of 1892, but as that short is now probably lost, there is little actually known about whether or not it showed a real championship match. (I'm guessing it was just another mock demonstration as that movie also was a camera test). As far as I know, the boxing genre went as far as 1895 for Edison, and was, I suppose, left off probably so Heise could spend more time with filming documentary (since the Lumière Brothers began filming real life the same year). Variations on the boxing theme include the camera test of "Monkey and Another, Boxing" (apparently featuring two monkeys boxing), and "Boxing Cats" of the same year.
This particular boxing match has some special historical interest to it. Here we see two boxers long dead (especially Courtney, who died about a year after it was filmed) participating in a frivolous match taking place in the boundaries within the Black Maria. Unlike "Men Boxing", there is a referee and a small crowd watching in the sidelines, probably added to enhance the effect. But the bout itself is real since it in truth consisted, as most of the boxing movies did, of six rounds. Alas, the single round that remains intact doesn't tell us anything about the winner of the championship. I suppose that, Courtney being the underdog, he probably lost to Corbett but this remains a mystery to my knowledge., |
The Core | 5.5 | 106K | 620 | 94 | (at around 9 mins) Near the end of the "birds" scene, a trout is seen smashing into a window instead of a pigeon. This was a joke left in by the team that did the CG pigeons.,(at around 1h 30 mins) During the bridge scene the microwave energy can melt through several feet of galvanized carbon steel wire (main cable) and the bridge beams themselves but not through less than 2mm of metal on the car's body shell.,Col. Robert Iverson: Being a leader isn't about ability. It's about responsibility.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: Got it, sir.
Col. Robert Iverson: No you don't, Beck. I mean, you're not just responsible for the good ones. You've got to be responsible for the bad ones. You've got to be ready to make the shitty call.
Maj. Rebecca Childs: What makes you think I'm not?,At the beginning when the Paramount pictures logo is shown there is a transition between the Paramount pictures logo and the film - the camera zooms in on the mountain then starts to move down through the mountain to the core of the earth.,Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #29.14 (2003),Weren't You the One
by Roger Kellaway & K. Lawrence Dunham
Performed by Sherry Williams
Courtesy of WilliamSound West,The core of the earth has stopped spinning, and its protective magnetic field is disappearing. The world starts to suffer from unusual disasters. The only people that could stop it is a disparate group of individuals who must travel to the center of the earth and set off some nuclear warheads.
It's a good excuse to blow up all the world's best places. The science is passable as these doomsday scenario goes. It's not the worst sci-fi idea. This has some fun moments. They had fun blowing stuff up. The story moves along nicely. It's fun even with DJ Qualls 'hacking' the earth. The CG is top notch. There isn't anything wrong with that part. It's a big budget treatment of a sci-fi B-movie concept., |
Coriolanus | 6.1 | 33K | 144 | 203 | Director Kathryn Bigelow decided to offer Jessica Chastain the lead role in Zero Dark Thirty (2012) after Ralph Fiennes showed her a rough cut of this film.,In the Senate, while General Cominius praises Coriolanus, in a close-up of Menenius on his right hand side a coat-of-arms of Republic of Serbia (doubleheaded eagle with crown) can be seen. The Senate scenes were filmed in the Serbian parliament building.,Caius Martius Coriolanus: I'll fight with none but thee, for I do hate thee.
Tullus Aufidius: We hate alike.,Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 19 August 2011 (2011),Cajesukarije
(Traditional)
Performed by Goran Bregovic for Kamarad Production,I had the pleasure of seeing Ralph Fiennes's "Coriolanus" at the St. Louis International Film Festival, on Nov 11th, 2011. I was on the edge of my seat through the entire film. Needless to say, the filming, production values, etc., were fantastic; but it was the relevance of the film that kept me glued to the screen.
Ralph Fiennes captured the timeless concepts that Shakespeare expressed in his play brilliantly - so much so that I feel there will be strong/visceral audience reaction to the film's depiction of themes that reflect in today's front page stories.
The theme of a military officer's political role resonated with me as a retired Navy Officer. The theme of the contrast between "high society" and the proletariat resonates in the "Occupy XXX" protests occurring today. The conflict between liberal and conservative (dare I say Democrat vs. Republican) ideals played very loudly in this film. Even the issues in European politics reflected themes we see in today's news.
The acting by Ralph Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave & Gerard Butler propelled the story and kept it moving swiftly. Some have panned the use of Shakespeare's original language. I, for one, had no trouble following the language. This film ranks with Kenneth Brannagh's "Henry V" and Baz Luhrmann's "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet" for making a film in Shakespearean English accessible by 21st Century Man.
I've always believed that some folks in the U.S. malign William Shakespeare's writings today, because they were forced to read his plays in a cold classroom setting in their youth. Shakespeare didn't intend his works to be read. He meant them to be performed and watched. This film proves the power of a good telling of a Shakespeare tale., |
Corky Romano | 4.7 | 14K | 112 | 44 | According to the screenwriters on Selling Your Screenplay podcast #81, the only reason the film was greenlit was due to a pending Actor strike in Sept 2000, so it was written in 10 days in May, filmed in June and wrapped in August- unheard of for a major studio film.,When Mrs. Hernandez is trying to take her cat out of the kennel, a close-up shows an obvious fat suit on the cat.,Corky: I never thought I'd live to see the day that an FBI agent would be peddling smack.
Agent Brick Davis: Don't act so surprised. J. Edgar Hoover used to wear a dress.
Corky: Just tell me why, Brick.
Agent Brick Davis: I don't know. I suppose it made him feel sexy.
Corky: Not Hoover, You.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Bandits/Iron Monkey/Mulholland Drive/From Hell/My First Mister/Corky Romano (2001),Take On Me
Written by Pål Waaktaar, Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket
Performed by a-ha
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products,When the mobster Francis A. 'Pops' Romano (Peter Folk) is sent to the court, the Romano family decides to send an undercover man to destroy the evidences against him without knowing that there is an informer in mafia. The clumsy loser veterinary son Corky Romano (Chris KattaN), who is not a criminal, is infiltrated in the FBI to destroy the evidences against his father.
Based on the bad reviews in IMDb, I saw "Corky Romano" with the lowest expectation I could have, but I liked it. The story is silly, but there are many funny situations. The lead character is a completely a**hole, but all his mistakes work in the end. It is also worthwhile to see also the sexy Vinessa Shaw. Do not think, watch this film with low expectation and in the end you might be surprised laughing a lot. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "A Arma Secreta da Máfia" ("The Mafia's Secret Weapon"), |
The Corn Is Green | 7.3 | 3.2K | 43 | 11 | The play and the film tell the true story of playwright Emlyn Williams and his schoolmistress Miss Cooke.,Despite the villagers being illiterate, every time a poster is put up people gather round to read it. They also have no problem signing their names in the register.,Miss Lilly Moffat: I have never spoken to a man for more than five minutes in my life without wanting to box his ears.,Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Bette Davis (1977),All Through the Night
(uncredited)
Traditional Welsh lullaby,This is a good drama and character study, and though the story moves a bit slowly at times, it incorporates some interesting angles. In the role of an erudite teacher trying to bring education to a Welsh mining community, Bette Davis is good even though the role is not ideal for her. The supporting cast complements her well, with John Dall particularly believable as her star student. Nigel Bruce has an entertaining, if somewhat exaggerated, role as the town Squire.
The story takes a pretty good look at the ups and downs of what Davis's character is trying to do, and the perspectives of the main characters are usually presented effectively. There isn't a lot of action, but it has a few good dramatic moments, and the characters are worth caring about.
It's worth seeing to watch Davis and the rest of the cast perform, and also for its thoughtful look at its characters., |
A Corner in Wheat | 6.6 | 2.7K | 29 | 9 | One of the first films in which D.W. Griffith used the technique of parallel editing (a technique he pioneered). It was used to create the effects in the wheat suffocating scene.,When the Wheat King reads the letter regarding his increase in wealth, he is wearing gloves. After he falls into the wheat pit, there is an un-gloved hand reaching for the heavens; however, when they pull him out, he is once again wearing gloves.,Edited into Proposta in quattro parti (1985),D.W.Griffith's condensed interpretation (14 minutes) of social conscious novelist Frank Norris's The Pit is an early and beautifully crafted example of what incredible influence film could exert in conveying its message to the masses.
A Corner in the Wheat is a clear and concise portrayal of Capitalistic greed as Griffith masterly employs the early tools of the trade to convey and condemn the repercussions of such action. It is early juxtaposition at its best as cross cuts between the have and have nots with well paced editing and striking compositions (the wheat field scenes are right out of Vincent Millette)that graphically illustrates the imperfection of the system.
There is a powerhouse finish rich in irony in this subversive work by the aristocratic Griffith that clearly must have inspired and influenced the work of the great Russian Socialist directors and by doing so adds final irony to this early work of pure cinema., |
Cornered | 4.3 | 1.3K | 18 | 25 | The title of the movie is hidden at least twice in the movie. (1) Near the beginning of the film, the newspaper that's magnified by the pair of reading glasses next to it has text that reads, "Chief Wilson proclaimed 'WE WON'T QUIT TILL WE HAVE THIS SICKO CORNERED!'" (2) Near the end of the film, the camera pans across some cans and boxes on a shelf. A can of corn is placed next to a quarter-turned box so that the word "corn" from the can, and "ered" from the end of text written on the box, spells out the name of the movie.,The ease with which Jess, Donnie and Morty toss aside the boxes in the storeroom shows that are all empty.,No animals were injured in the making of this movie. The cockroaches, Joey and Freddy, were adopted by producer Alan Noel Vega and are living a life of luxury!,References The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974),In Los Angeles, a serial-killer with unknown identity is slaughtering clients in convenience stores. The steals the surveillance tapes and the police department has offered a US$ 500,000.00 reward for him.
In a trashy convenience store, the owner Steve (Eduardo Antonio Garcia), his clients Mona (Ellia English) that works with phone sex and the whore Jess (Elizabeth Nicole), his employee Donny Donut (Peter Story) and his junky nephew Jimmy (James Duval) discuss with the carrier Morty (Steve Guttenberg) what they would do with the serial-killer if they capture him.
Morty goes away and Steve invites the group to play a poker game, with Jimmy is affected by the forced abstinence. Out of the blue, they are attacked by a masked killer during a night of terror.
"Cornered!" is an unpleasant and stupid low-budget film with fake reviews promoting it. The uninteresting and dull story has lowlife characters and never holds the attention of the viewer. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "Brutal! A Face do Demônio" ("Brutal! – The Face of the Demon"), |
A Corny Concerto | 7.3 | 2.1K | 16 | 4 | Bugs Bunny's scream at the end of the "Tales of the Vienna Woods" segment is actually Fay Wray's, taken from Doctor X (1932).,Bugs Bunny's eyelashes briefly disappear and reappear while covering his bra with his left hand and trying to use his bra to tie up Porky and his hunting dog.,Porky Pig: [holding up sign] I'm hunting that @!*@ rabbit!
Dog: [holding up sign] Ditto,Edited into Bugs Bunny Superstar (1975),Piano Concerto No. 1-Allegro
(uncredited)
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky,I had heard about this Looney Tunes quite often and when I realised (when it said on this site) that it was a spoof on Fantasia, I became very excited. I kept thinking, "Ooh, I'm so excited to find out what this is like." When I watched this on YouTube, I was very impressed.
I find this very much a classic Looney Tune - highly entertaining, funny and sweet. The Fantasia spoof around it works very well. I also noticed that there was only one joke which was relevant to the world of the time. It was a slight fighter jet joke and of course the Second World War was still raging in 1943. Some of the jokes were slightly lame and a little repetitive/predictable, but a delight to watch all the same.
Also, this has a role of Daffy - who does not look a lot like Daffy. Daffy looks much more like a duckling than the little black duck we know. He does a very good job. Of course, so does everyone in this episode.
Being a spoof on Fantasia, there are two stories, both with a piece of classical music in the background. Elmer Fudd introduces each piece and has rather a trouble with his out-fit (you'll see what I mean when you watch it). I personally preferred the second piece to the first piece, partly because the second had Daffy in it.
Recommended to people who enjoy old Looney Tunes cartoons and who very much enjoy "Fantasia". Enjoy "A Corny Concerto"! :-), |
Corporate Animals | 4.5 | 4K | 70 | 36 | Ed Helms revealed during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live that during the making of this film his publicist called and said there were rumors floating around that Helms was having an affair with co-star Demi Moore and the publicist wanted to know if that was true. Helms denied it saying he was a happily married man. After the call, he began freaking out a bit realizing he needed to let his wife know. But when he told her and his mother about the story, they just laughed and said "Demi Moore, high five!" They thought it was hilarious that anyone would think he and Moore would be a couple.,Lucy: We need to make this decision as a team, and there's no "I" in team.
Derek: Yeah but if you swap the letters around it spells meat.,References Alive (1993),It starts off a bit slow but if you can get through the first 15min, what you'll get is a dark comedy about what happens when a bunch of employees have to pull together to survive being trapped in a cave with their a-hole boss.
It's an offbeat, unusually funny movie filled with a couple one liners that'll make you chuckle. For a quiet night in with nothing else to watch, give this movie a bash.
Don't believe all the poor reviews you see of this film. This will become a cult classic like Office Space in a couple years time, |
The Corporation | 8 | 22K | 150 | 54 | The current running time is distilled down from 450 hours of footage and 100 hours of interviews. The first cut ran to 33 hours.,Robert Monks: Again and again we have the problem that whether you obey the law or not is a matter of whether it's cost effective. If the chance of getting caught and the penalties are less than it costs to comply, people think of it as just a business decision.,The credits display addresses and descriptions of related websites but they can also be found on the official website for the film.,Featured in Colpo al cuore: Morte non accidentale di un monarca (2009),Bad Apple
Written by David Wilcox
Performed by David Wilcox
Produced by Sadia Sadia (uncredited)
Courtesy of EMI Music Canada
Published by Teddy Bear Musical Publishing, A Division of Karl Music, Inc.,Joel Bakan, who served as a clerk for Chief Justice Brian Dickson and advocated for human rights against governments, now takes aim at corporations in this documentary. On the way he gets a little help from friends like Naomi Klein and Michael Moore. The stuff exposed in the final product can be shocking and hits home even if the presentation is fairly one-sided. From stuff little-known like businessmen trying to overthrow Franklin Roosevelt and aiding Nazi death camps, to a reminder of Kathy Lee Gifford's sweatshops. It questions the ethics of applying patents on life and rain water. This is a story that needs to be heard, even if it needs to be balanced.
I first saw most of the movie as part of a sociology course. We considered the concept of a corporation as a person, and how if it were a person it can fit the definition of a psychopath. While it may sound extreme to apply that label to men running businesses, sadly there is some truth to it. Even if this movie doesn't convince me corporations should be banned, it demonstrates why they should not have absolute power and personhood. The stuff about Bolivia having a revolt shows people being pushed can push back, and raises questions of how we may see more of that which is alarming from a security perspective. All of this is helped by use of metaphors and pop culture and the calm, female voice of the narrator. Everyone shaping a national economy should see this movie., |
The Corpse of Anna Fritz | 5.9 | 6.5K | 31 | 79 | This film was very popular in Turkey sparking illegal downloading of it 5-7 million times.,Pau pulled his trousers down to prepare himself for penetrative sex on Anna's corpse but when he freaked out after bringing her back to life, his trousers appears to be back up to his waist especially during penetrative sex. When he has risen up, he pulled them back up.,Iván: I bet you got her naked.
Pau: No.
Iván: Yeah, right. You only took a pic of her face.
Pau: Yeah, the one i sent you.
Javi: I bet you peeked at her tits, pervert.
Pau: Yes. You wouldn't have done it?,References The Apprentice (2014),Wow! Well, Spanish films are always on the verge and this one is no exception. It is morbid and the story is quite ... morbid but wow! Three actors ( or you can say four) that make up the entire story and not for a single moment is boring or whatever. I mean , it was predictable that she will be caught at one point ( the lift scene) but besides that, it was really a suspense and you were on the guess.
I must say that all four ( or three actors) are really great in their roles! Especially the main villain! But, really, all of them are quite believable.
The theme of the film is really disturbing but, somehow, it is well done and entertaining.
Nine from me. I would give it a ten if the last 10 seconds were a bit different. I expected her to smile or say something... Though I know that the ending is actually the most convenient one., |
Corpse Bride | 7.4 | 293K | 586 | 267 | The puppets were 25 to 28 centimeters (9.8 to 11 inches) tall, and some of the stages were so large that animators could actually fit through the set doors with minimal crouching.,(at around 16 mins) When Victor is in the woods saying his vows, he puts his ring on the "branch"; a.k.a. the corpse bride's hand, and he puts the ring on the pointer finger. However, in the next shot when she says "You may kiss the bride," the ring has magically moved to her ring finger.,Victor Van Dort: [alone in the forest, practicing his vows] With this hand I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine. - Ah, Mrs. Everglot. You look ravishing this evening. What's that, Mr. Everglot, call you "Dad"? If you insist, Sir. - With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine.
[He places the ring on what he thinks is a root. As he turns away, the root shoots out, grabs Victor's arm and almost pulls him into the ground. Victor pulls himself free and finds a detatched skeletal hand gripping his arm. He watches as the ground gives way and an unearthly female figure, wearing a dishevelled wedding dress, rises from beneath the tree. She pulls back her veil],Emily is referred to on-screen by name, but is only credited as "Corpse Bride.",On Disney XD's airing of the film, Alfred saying, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," was muted out.,Featured in HBO First Look: Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005),According to Plan
Music by Danny Elfman
Lyrics by John August and Danny Elfman
Produced by Danny Elfman
Performed by Albert Finney, Joanna Lumley, Tracey Ullman, and Paul Whitehouse,This is not my favourite Tim Burton movie by a long shot, but I did find myself enjoying it. The animation is absolutely amazing with the dark bold colours and inspired visual ideas. The music is good too, it adds very well to the atmosphere. The four songs are pretty decent, if nothing special. Remains of the Day was the one I liked best. The script is witty and deliciously dark in places, while the story is clever and fairly original, even if it drags slightly occasionally. The characters are wonderfully quirky and the voice work from the likes of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter is top notch. All in all, a beautifully crafted film, if not quite Burton's finest hour. 8/10 Bethany Cox, |
The Corpse Grinders | 4 | 1.7K | 48 | 47 | The film's screenwriter, Joe Cranston, is the father of Breaking Bad (2008) star Bryan Cranston.,Mr Desisto of the Food Adulteration Agency says "There's nothing adulterous", as in an adulterous relationship, about the cat food, instead of the appropriate "nothing adulterated", as in unadulterated food products.,Mr. Desisto: [regarding the cat food] There's nothing adulterous or harmful about it.,Featured in Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell (1987),"She loved that old tomcat.Yes she did." Too bad Annie's old tomcat was fed Lotus cat food. Made from the ground flesh of corpses, Lotus cat food is the product of a greedy plot to make easy money from cat owners looking to feed their cats. But, the trouble (according to the doctor's encyclopedia entry about flesh-eating cats)is that the cats fed the Lotus cat food become accustomed to the taste of ground human flesh, and quit hunting the flesh of faster animals. Makes sense to me. Cats begin attacking humans in the town, leaping into the neck, and shredding the flesh. Oddly, the cats refrain from actually eating the humans,or even making much of a mess of the corpses by, say, drinking the blood or something, contrary to the explanation given by the encyclopedia article.
Corpse Grinders is a good film. Any movie with the following elements can't be too bad: every character lacks peripheral vision (such a common affliction among characters in B films); the batty wife of one of the racketeers tenderly cares for a pint sized baby doll while complaining of bodies piling up in the living room; the pointless inclusion of a mute chick with a crutch and the miraculous ability to communicate using pidgin sign language; and the music from Blood Feast playing during a rather Blood Feast-like killing scene. However, the film is kind of lacking imagination. Despite the couple of odd characters, it's pretty straight forward camp. Still, I'd rather watch this than countless other films. Also, if you're watching the DVD version, make sure to sit through the (brief) credits in order to see the awesome trailer, which I would give 10/10, if I could rate it alone., |
Corpse Party | 6.3 | 2.3K | 19 | 3 | Corpse party: tortured souls only features the bad endings from the game,REPIR THAT FREAKING TRIPOD. THAT WAS ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY., |
The Corpse Vanishes | 4.6 | 3.4K | 95 | 44 | The music Dr. Lorenz plays on the organ in two separate scenes is "Ave Maria.",In the bar, Peggy the cigarette girl is carrying a tray of cigarettes supported by a strap that wraps around her neck. Patricia then asks to talk to her in the dressing room. When they walk into the dressing room, Peggy is still carrying the cigarette tray, but the strap has disappeared.,Keenan: Aww, now wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me that this Professor Lorenz is a hypnotist as well as a horticulturist?,Edited into Muchachada nui: Episode #1.4 (2007),I had watched THE CORPSE VANISHES (1942) a couple of years ago but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised as to how watchable and engaging it was the second time around. Who'd have thought that such fare was worth a second look? If anything, I found CORPSE to be even livelier than GHOST (which did get to be repetitious and feel constrained by its one setting): although it is never explained why Lugosi is married to an 80-year old woman (except maybe to get into high society given that she's a "Countess") or why she needs to be youthful (it's not like she's parading her "look" anywhere except at the Lorenz household), the film offers an amusing throwback to those 30s hard-boiled reporter movies and predates such rejuvenation-themed horror movies as I VAMPIRI (1956).
I found the film to be quite atmospheric and enjoyable: it was nice to watch Lugosi surrounded by such familiar faces as Elizabeth Russell (from several Val Lewton films), Angelo Rossitto (one of Tod Browning's FREAKS [1932]) and Vince Barnett (who had a memorable supporting role in Hawks' SCARFACE [1932]) among others. That said, the campier elements of the film were sometimes too silly for words: Lugosi whipping his moronic assistant, the proverbial funereal organ-playing, the even more hilarious sight of Lugosi and Russell sleeping in coffins and the final shoot-out with the police in which, of all people, it's Lugosi's dwarfish henchman who gets it!
In the end, I guess I wouldn't mind watching Lugosi's other stuff from this period but I doubt if it will make me enough of a fan to go out and purchase them in their best available prints on DVD., |
Corpus Christi | 7.7 | 21K | 61 | 135 | In a couple of dance scenes the film makes a clear reference to the famous Dimitri finds out internet meme.,Daniel: You know what we're good at? Giving up on people. Pointing the finger at them. To forgive doesn't mean to forget. "Forgive" means "love". To love someone despite their guilt. No matter what the guilt is.,Featured in The Oscars (2020),Lipka
Traditional
Performed by Eliza Rycembel & Konstanty Szemraj,This is the kind of movie that captivated me from start to finish. The story itself unbelievable as it may seem is actually based on a real story of young man from the Masovian voivodeship. I will not spoil any of it and will just say that 'Corpus Christi' touches on important matters and values and it's main message translates to 'love thy neighbor'. Amazing performance by the main actor and I loved the camera work. Highly recommended by a non-practitioning catholic., |
Corrections Class | 6.9 | 1.2K | 10 | null | null |
Corrective Measures | 4.4 | 3.6K | 38 | 14 | The majority of filming took place in Vancouver, Canada. However, filming concluded in Atlanta, Georgia, where Bruce Willis filmed all of his scenes in 1-2 days.,From outside the Lobe's cell the door window has bars, from inside there are no bars.,The Lobe: I need one more thing from you.
Overseer Walton Devlin: Uh-huh, what's that?
The Lobe: The Wi-Fi password.
Overseer Walton Devlin: You need a Wi-Fi password, do you? Wow. I got one for you. You better write this down. You fuckin' fuckface fuckin' fucker #69. That's your password!,Black Lung
Written by John Curtis Ortis
Performed by The Death South
Courtesy of Six Shooter Records,Just when you think you've seen the last of the Bruce Willis movies another POP UP, he must have made a boatload of these Class D movies before he decided to retire. This movie was or is a real freak show filled with Meta-Human Rejects from the Metaverse. This is one of those movies you have to see to believe, then you wish you had done laundry instead, or wash the car. But hay, Bruce keeps trying to find one that takes back to his Die Heart Days.
This is another one of those movies, you sit and watch a rainy afternoon, when you are looking for a distraction from the weather, or you want something, any thing to make noise in an otherwise quiet house. Good Luck with this puppy. It's outta step and outta time., |
Corridor | 6.5 | 734 | 22 | 14 | In his autobiography, Sir Christopher Lee clearly states that this was his first film, although in the same paragraph he says that the star of the film was Eric Porter, when it was really Eric Portman. While unsure of the mis-spelling of Eric Portman's surname in this autobiography, it is correct that this is Lee's debut movie. It was released in the U.K. March 10, 1948 and was not released in the United States until July 24, 1948.,Featured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: Corridor of Mirrors (1967),This had a really interesting slow build with lots of atmosphere and gothic mystery. I was really digging it until the rushed ending that tries to tie everything together and ends up undermining the whole thing. It's seriously a terrible final 10 minutes of an otherwise top notch film. Bleh..., |
The Corridor | 4.8 | 2.8K | 48 | 46 | I became awake
Performed by Great Lake Swimmers
Written by Tony Dekker
Published by © 2007 T.Dekker/Harbour Songs(Socan)
Courtesy of Nettwerk Music Group,Going in blind to a movie like this can really only heighten the experience. I knew about the film prior to seeking it out and while not exactly what I was expecting I have to say I felt pleasantly surprised by what I actually saw. Watching the first half of the film there was no way I could have sat with a straight face and tell you how this was going to end. THE CORRIDOR is anchored by not one, not two, not three, not four but five strong performances and a script full of shocks and surprises that range from disturbing to darkly comedic. Some movies portray madness through watching a single character lose it from beginning to end, where as this film attempts to make the audience go mad right along with the characters. I won't lie, it takes patience to stay on board to the end but in the case of THE CORRIDOR patience pays off in the end.
Full Review @ http://www.moviesonline.ca/ 2012/04/corridor-movie-review/, |
Corridor of Mirrors | 6.5 | 734 | 22 | 14 | In his autobiography, Sir Christopher Lee clearly states that this was his first film, although in the same paragraph he says that the star of the film was Eric Porter, when it was really Eric Portman. While unsure of the mis-spelling of Eric Portman's surname in this autobiography, it is correct that this is Lee's debut movie. It was released in the U.K. March 10, 1948 and was not released in the United States until July 24, 1948.,Featured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: Corridor of Mirrors (1967),This had a really interesting slow build with lots of atmosphere and gothic mystery. I was really digging it until the rushed ending that tries to tie everything together and ends up undermining the whole thing. It's seriously a terrible final 10 minutes of an otherwise top notch film. Bleh..., |
Corridors of Blood | 6.4 | 2.2K | 43 | 33 | Although this movie was not released until 1962, it was filmed in 1958.,Although the opening credits set the movie in 1840, Dr Bolton uses a Bunsen Burner in his laboratory, not invented until 1854-5.,Mr Blount: A good day's work, Bolton! You're getting faster all the time. Beats me how you do it!
Dr. Bolton: [Bitterly] No matter how fast I still can't save them!
Mr Blount: Yes, most distresing, but, alas, inevitably you can't have operations without screams. Pain and the knife, they're inseparable!
Dr. Bolton: I beg to differ. Someday surgery must and will be made painless.,Opening credits prologue: LONDON 1840
Before the discovery of Anaesthesia,The UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC to reduce shots of Rosa being caressed by Joe and to remove a brief shot of Joe's face scarred with acid. These edits were restored in video releases though the 2006 DD Entertainment DVD features the cut cinema print. In the U.S however the film was cut differently. The 'ravishing' of Rosa was left intact but 3 cuts were made to the stabbings of Bolton and the night watchman, and the surgical cutting of a patient's leg. The U.S Criterion DVD features the U.S cinema print though the cut scenes are presented as extra features on the disc.,Featured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: Corridors of Blood (1973),Luverly Gin
(uncredited)
Music by Buxton Orr
Lyrics by Francis O'Grady,Boris Karloff gives a decidedly compassionate performance as a London surgeon madly trying to develop a gas of some kind to use in operations to relieve his patients of the inevitable pain that comes with surgery. The film chronicles much of the trial and error, ridicule from colleagues, and unfortunate reliance on opium based gas that surrounds Dr. Bolton, Karloff's character. Karloff walks in two circles: the first is at the hospital where he works with his son and is surrounded by other doctors and students - the second is a very poor part of the city where he helps the poor and is taken advantage of by a section of thieves and killers led by Black Ben(nice performance by Mr. De Wolf) and Resurrection Joe(played in a characteristically eerie fashion by Christopher Lee). Lee and De Wolf have a side business of killing wayward drunks and selling their bodies to the hospital. All they need is a signature from a doctor...that is where Karloff comes in. Although the film is not a "horror" film, it has some horror elements. Karloff really gives a nice, in-depth portrayal of a man destined to find a new way. The film has a great cast of British stalwarts such as De Wolf, Lee, Finlay Currie and Nigel Green. Production values are low, but the quality of film based on the budget used is exceedingly good., |
The Corruptor | 6.1 | 19K | 143 | 96 | Kim Chan plays a crime-lord named Benny Wong nicknamed Uncle Benny. Chan also played a crime-lord nicknamed Uncle Benny in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998).,The NYPD's 13th Precinct does not cover Chinatown, the 5th Precinct does. They worked out of the 15th precinct, not the 13th, and there is no longer a 15th precinct in NYC.,Danny Wallace: The ends justify the means, Pops.
Sean Wallace: The ends is bullshit. The means is what you live with.,German VHS release was cut by ca. 6 minutes to secure a "Not under 16" rating.,Edited into From the (Under)Ground Up: The Making of 'The Corruptor' (1999),Candy Perfume Girl
Written by Madonna, William Orbit (as William Wainwright) & Susannah Melvoin
Performed by Madonna
Courtesy of Maverick Recording Company/Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products,This is a Hong Kong action flick with a distinct taste of the west. The movie starts off with a bombing and small store shoot-out that is right out of John Woo's stylebook but then it under goes a change. The story starts taking over and it is one of intrigue within intrigue. There are great moments of action with two guns blazing and an unbelievable amount of bullets but the story becomes the main thing. This works as glue that a lot of Hong Kong movies don't have. There are long pauses of plot developments between double crossing bad guys that are a real change to what is a typical Hong Kong action flick.
The director John Foley likes to place people in positions where they have to make critical decisions under pressure (At Close Range and Fear) and this is no exception. A caring cop caught up in a situation of corruption is under constant pressure to decide what is right. You are kept guessing as to his ultimate decision but the pressure is there under a dozen different situations. The sub-plots add to the texture of this movie and add to its richness. These side stories of the bad cop father in trouble, the interaction of rival Chinese gangs and his love of Asian culture are all parts of the puzzle that is Danny Wallace played by Mark Wahlberg. Foley knows Wahlberg from the direction of his acting breakthrough in Fear and uses him at what he does best, the confused tough guy with the sensitive agenda. (His latest movie `The Yards' is an example of what I mean). Nick Chen the experienced street cop played by Chow Yun-Fat is the perfect slightly crazy hard-hitting loner, who has embedded himself in the struggle of rival gangs in New York's Chinatown. There is no black and white here, only shades of gray, in a world of who is doing what to whom but like the cultural differences between East and West the relationships between individuals overcomes the hard facts of doing business on the street.
A very good blend of the Hong Kong actions movie that was brought in by Chow Yun-Fat (if you hear the commentary that Foley never saw a Woo movie) and what Foley's image is for street life in New York. Coming from New York and living and working in Asia gives me insight into the homework that went into the making of this movie and I will say they did a very good job., |
Corsage | 6.6 | 8.7K | 49 | 129 | The real Empress Elisabeth refused all portraits or photographs after the age of 40 to maintain her youthful public image.,Franz Joseph I of Austria never blamed his wife, the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, for the death of Archduchess Sophie of Austria. The criticism of Elisabeth's parenting came from her mother-in-law, Princess Sophie of Bavaria.,Elisabeth: Nobody loves anybody
Elisabeth: Everybody loves what he wants from others
Elisabeth: And we love anybody that loves in us that which we would like to be.,Featured in Amanda the Jedi Show: The Most Theatre Walkouts I've EVER Seen - Cannes 2022 Explained (2022),Help Me Make It Through The Night
Written by Kris Kristofferson
Performed by Sammi Smith
(1970),It has been many months since I came across a new film as satisfying as this one. The unusual device of seeding a big-budget costume drama with anachronisms to signal that something applicable across time is being communicated does alas lend itself to misunderstanding. It is good enough for this to be merely a vehicle for Ms. Krieps. That being a woman is complicated no matter the time period or the circumstances is enough for a premise.
To best be able to enjoy Corsage, I recommend finding out as little as possible about its many surprises in advance. But I do recommend finding out about the pertinent history and people, and in particular, to see the old Sissi films with Romy Schneider. This film is intended for German speakers, after all. I can easily imagine the two renditions of Empress Elizabeth as the same personality at different points in her life.
Hint: the secondary dictionary meaning of "corsage" is intended., |
Corvette Summer | 5.7 | 3.7K | 42 | 33 | Mark Hamill said of this movie around the time of production: "I insisted on looking different. And I'm only interested in the car, not even any girl, until Annie Potts came along. . . It's not a car movie. It's really a love story. And I'm so thrilled to be working with Annie Potts. She reminds me of Judy Holliday. She's a unique creature." Hamill years after the film first came out then said: "Corvette Summer (1978) is a great little picture and it's got sort of a title that's a misnomer because you sort of put it in one category when you first see it and you go, 'Oh gee, it's quite a nicely written, uh romantic movie.' And I enjoyed it immensely.",When Ken is chasing the Vette on a bicycle, he hitches boosts in speeds by holding on to various cars along the way. At one point, a construction pickup is one of these "boosts." The driver had to honk and actually slow down for the stuntman on the bike to catch up and grab hold.,Kenneth W. Dantley, Jr.: I drive my first car at nine. I overhaul my first transmission at ten. At thirteen I turn the quarter mile in under 12 seconds...and I wait till now to get laid?,Featured in The Cinema Snob: 42nd Street Forever, Volume 2: The Deuce (2013),Give Me the Night
(uncredited)
Written by Craig Safan
Performed by Dusty Springfield,This is a rare young Mark Hamill leading man role and he, while dorky as heck, manages to pull it off quite well. Annie Potts is the real star here in a great performance, but it's a car movie full of random coincidences that make the story have no drive (pun intended) BUT it's charming and breezy and a pleasant enough curiosity for anyone who wants to see 70's Las Vegas and young Mark Hamill before the facial scarring., |
Cosi | 5.2 | 5.9K | 11 | 31 | Like all the women doing an audition for Tinto Brass, Claudia Koll underwent the infamous "coin test". Brass explains: "I have them presented in their skirts and without panties, then I drop a coin on the floor. Depending on what they let me see in the bow, I sense their cinematic potential. Believe me... it's an infallible method.",When Diana sits on the toilet, at the Venezia apartment, she is wearing a hat. When she stands up, the hat is over the table and she picks it up before leaving.,Paolo: [Paolo and Diana are in bed] What are you doing?
Diana: I'm raping you! I'm raping you!
Paolo: [alarm clock rings] It's eight o'clock! You'll have to rape me later!,Featured in Sexual Life (2004),This must be one of the most erotic films ever made,if you like this , you must see the rest of Tinto Brass movies. Claudia Koll are playing an excellent roll, and she is SO sexy This film are very erotic , without going over the fine line between erotic and porn. I have seen and have most of the Tinto Brass erotic movies that are made , and I must say that I like that kind of movies where the ladies are natural and not filled up with silicon. So if you want an erotic ,sexy,hot movie, just get one of Tinto Brass and your evening will be saved. I have seen a lot of other erotic movies form all over the world, and I must say that I liked the erotic movies that came out in the USA in the 1970 was more erotic than the movies that are coming out today. todays movies have no humor., |
Cosmic Sin | 2.5 | 15K | 928 | 58 | Bruce Willis's performance in the film was nominated for and "won" the Golden Raspberry Award (Razzie) for "Worst Bruce Willis Performance in a 2021 Movie", a one-off category for Willis's roles in eight films released that calendar year. However, after Willis's family announced the star's retirement after being diagnosed with aphasia, a cognitive brain condition, on March 30, 2022, the Razzie committee officially rescinded the awards category the following day stating "If someone's medical condition is a factor in their decision making and/or their performance, we acknowledge that it is not appropriate to give them a Razzie.",Early into the movie, the scene where the female sniper is on the ridge, the camera pans from the sniper to Bruce Willis. During this pan, a lot of the crew is clearly visible in the top half of the screen.,James Ford: [to his squad mates] Whatever Happens... We'll Be On The Wrong Side Of History,Featured in Projector: Cosmic Sin (2021),Price for Illusion
Written and Performed by Vitaly Dobin,A terribly written trash heap that made no sense, the storyline was disjointed to say the least. The effects were okay. But what good there was is overshadowed by poor acting and bad dialogue. Almost laughably bad., |
Cosmopolis | 5.1 | 50K | 243 | 382 | This was Robert Pattinson's first film he worked on after finishing shooting The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012). He stated that the experience of working with David Cronenberg and having the film premiere at Cannes made him realize that he could pursue independent projects helmed by auteur directors, because he didn't think he was good or worthy enough to act in auteur cinema before.,Didi Fancher: Talent is more erotic when it's wasted.,"An Official Canada-France Co-Production",Featured in Fantasmes! Sexe, fiction et tentations (2013),I Don't Want to Wake Up
Written by Emily Haines, James Shaw and Howard Shore
Performed by Metric,I'm not sure if I'm more amused or more disappointed by the reaction by so many reviewers here of this film. No, it's not your Hollywood production, it contains few digital effects, no action, not even your standard "Cronenberg gore". This is a novel, and is presented in a way that's similar to the novel; with characters and dialog. As these elements are revealed, and the story unfolds as it does, I was left with a very interesting and satisfying experience.
I wonder if many of the folks giving this a poor review, saying it's boring or confusing, are simply unprepared for what they're renting, and they blame the movie for not meeting expectations. This happened to me. I started the movie while tired and impatient for distraction. After 15 minutes, I shut the film off and waited a couple of days for the right mood to kick in (awake, curious, searching for intellectual stimulation) before starting "Cosmopolis" from the beginning. Some movies are an escape from the work, and/or from thinking. This is not one of them.
I don't like to give spoilers in my reviews, so I will only say to anyone reading, rent this if you're in the mood for a unique movie that gives you cause to reflect and think. And be patient- despite what some have said, I think the ending is exactly right., |
Cosmos | 9.3 | 126K | 199 | 12 | Speaking on Nerdist podcast #489, Neil deGrasse Tyson said that "(the show will be airing) on Sunday night (March 9, 2014), in prime time after it had been promoted during the Super Bowl, FOX had the Super Bowl, after it had been promoted during the World Series in the bottom of the seventh inning in game three on Saturday night, and it is airing on one hundred seventy-one stations around the world in forty-five languages. Any one of those sentences is a mind-blow, the fact it is all happening together is a stunning statement that there is a recognition by forces that be that science deserves to be mainstreamed.",During the title sequence, the letters "C" and "S" of "COSMOS" appear briefly on their own in tribute to Carl Sagan.,Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #51.10 (2014),Thank You Seth MacFarlane for having the foresight for bringing this back with your own money. Carl Sagan when I was growing up influenced me with the original Cosmos series to go into science and also gave me the love of science fiction.
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is brilliant in continuing in Mr Sagan's footsteps. The the score written by Alan Silvestri also fantastic. I will be introducing this to my young family as the love of Cosmos should be for all generations.
There is updated animation no doubt influenced by Seth's Family Guy roots but this should hold the attention of the kids as the this combined with the special effects should keep them engrossed and learn at the same time.
Look forward to more episodes and questions from kids !, |
The Costello Case | 5.9 | 34 | 3 | null | null |
Cosy Dens | 8.1 | 5.9K | 23 | 7 | "Cosy Dens" is arguably a poor translation of "Pelisky." The word actually means "nests".,When Elien receives the package from America, it has three stamps affixed totaling only 8 cents. Notwithstanding that this is a paltry amount of postage to send a heavy package abroad, the three stamps had not been yet issued in America in December 1967. (The green Jefferson stamps were issued January 1968 and the larger Eisenhower stamp not until 1969),Uncle: I have read in "100 + 1 foreign interests" magazine such an piquancy that an average woman thinks about sex every 5 minutes and an average person, like man, guy thinks about it every 7 minutes.
Father Sebek: So, what is the result?
Uncle: That I am an average woman.,Featured in Kovy: Vsehochut #1 (2016),Ceresne
Music by Jaroslav Filip, lyrics by Milan Lasica
Performed by Hana Hegerová,Prague in 1968 prior to the Soviet invasion. The setting is ideal for a political drama, but Czech artists prefer to make a comedy with political background. The action takes place in a house, where families from different political camps (pro-communist vs. anti-communist) live together. The story is told in such a warm, witty and funny way that it immediately resembles the golden years of Czech movie industry in the 70's and 80's. This movie was a tremendous hit on the local Czech market, unfortunately it has never reached my country (Poland). I've had a chance to see it only on the Warsaw Film Festival. It's sad but all the time distributors prefer to show s****y Hollywood cheesy-style romances or action packs, instead real-value movies. Definitely one of the movies of 1999 IMHO. The same goes for other Czech movie - "Return of the Idiot" (Navrat Idiota) - watch out for Czechs, they are on the right track again., |
The Cottage | 6.1 | 13K | 103 | 72 | The man with the dog who speaks to David when he goes to the village telephone Is Doug Bradley, better known as 'Pin-Head' In the Hellraiser film franchise.,When David drives to the nearby village to make the phone call he parks his car facing the opposite direction he is to return. After the call and after his encounter with the village folks he returns to his car and drives off without reversing his car. The car was automatically reversed.,David: She alright?
Peter: She's still unconscious.
David: That's chlorophyll for you.,Stay till the very end of the credits for an additional scene. After the scene fades to black "Fin" appears onscreen, followed with a question mark a few seconds later to read "Fin?",Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Cabin in the Woods Horror Movies (2016),Freaks Make The World Go Round,British horror movies have always had a unique sense of humour, with "Severance" being a good recent example of savvy brit film-makers throwing laughs and gore together to great effect. This carries on that tradition, and in Reece Shearsmith they're blessed with an actor whose comic chops are well up to scratch. Andy Serkis is no slouch either, playing the straight man brilliantly as a mobster who's hard as nails but a little fuzzy on the inside.
The laughs are pretty reliable, and as the situation goes from bad to worse a lot of those laughs come from the (severe) misfortune of the poor souls on screen, and the blend of splatter and slapstick is well tuned. Jennifer Ellison does grate after a while, her constant use of swearing amusing at times but often a little irritating. Still, she has a fantastic body on her and that ball shrivellingly tough accent to fall back on, so her presence isn't entirely unwelcome. As a comedy it works extremely well, and as a gore movie there's some inventively wince-inducing moments, and with the balance just right "The Cottage" is well worth a visit., |
A Cottage on Dartmoor | 7.5 | 1.2K | 24 | 8 | Joe's coworker reaches down to pick up the movie tickets with his right hand, but the close-up shows his left hand grabbing them.,Featured in Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (1995),First time of viewing this one: a marvellous experience, from the opening shots of a prisoner on the run over moorland from prison guards to the ending where
The first intertitle is "Joe!" and we're immediately launched into an hour long flashback of how Joe got to be a prisoner and how he knows Sally. He's obsessively in love with her with awful consequences for the man she really loves, and himself - realistically portrayed and apart from the incident in the barbers unfortunately only too believable. The three main leads play their parts wonderfully well with incessant close ups, inventive photography, low cameras and precise mirror shots highlighting the intensity. Photogenic Norah Baring thankfully was no Hollywood Queen, her self possession and simple youthful homeliness adding an extra dimension to the time honoured tale. Favourite bits: Life in Sally's boarding house with the old biddies, ear trumpets and ancient furniture and plants; The cinema segment with everyone including the redundant pit orchestra intently watching a talkie, and of course the orgasmic psycho-jazz snappy editing; The "murder" in the barbers (it was fun watching everybody apparently just watching the dying man dying).
One of the last mainstream silent films produced, it just couldn't have worked even one year later as a slave to the voice this shows exactly what silent films could offer as an artform, and still do to those with a little patience. Try it., |
The Cotton Club | 6.5 | 19K | 112 | 42 | When Francis Ford Coppola called up Bob Hoskins to offer him a part, the actor didn't believe it was really him. Coppola introduced himself, to which Hoskins replied, "Yeah, and this is Henry the fucking Eighth", and hung up.,During the montage song Ill Wind there is a shot of coins and bills being poured out. The dimes in the shot are Roosevelt dimes, not produced until 1946.,Vera: You've got about as much style as a bowl of turnips.,In the original version, the opening credits were intercut with dancers performing "The Mooche." In the 2019 revision, the dancing is eliminated and the credits roll straight through, but have been joined with straight cuts rather than dissolves. Additionally, Coppola has changed his billing from "Francis Coppola" to "Francis Ford Coppola." Finally, restoration credits have been added after the end titles.,In 2019, Lionsgate released a director's cut running 139 minutes, titled "The Cotton Club Encore". This version gave more space to the Williams brothers and Lila Rose, restoring three full musical numbers and extending others, and trimming scenes with impersonations of 1920s celebrities.,Edited into The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002),How Come You Love Me Like You Do?
Written by Gene Austin and Roy Bergere,The Cotton Club is a dazzling, complex film that attempts so much it would be almost impossible for nearly any director to pull it off. But Francis Ford Coppola is not any director, so The Cotton Club is not just any movie. Rather, it succeeds at practically all levels and is certainly a film worth coming back to again and again.
Set in Harlem in the late 1920s, we are introduced to a group of Jazz Age-products, people who see themselves exactly as they are but all hope to go somewhere better. Two story lines occupy the plot; we get a good-looking young musician Dixie Dwyer (Richard Gere) who gets involved in the mob after falling for one of the gangster's girlfriends (Diane Lane) and we get the story of a very talented black dancer (Gregory Hines) trying to prove his love to a half-black and half-white chorus girl who seems to struggle with her place in this more or less racist society. Almost every night, everyone gathers at The Cotton Club, one of the most famous clubs in the city and the blacks entertain while the whites drink and watch. But Coppola gives us a view from all angles so it doesn't feel as if we are missing anything important.
One of the biggest achievements of this film is its staging of the dance sequences, which are to say the least quite exquisite. Filled with colorful costumes and some mind-boggling tap numbers, at times you may forget that this is also a gangster picture. Indeed, some scenes feel just like Coppola's The Godfather with its quick bursts of violence but also in its tone of sad, elegiac setting. People come and go and some regret the things they do, but the music lives on. The acting is also very strong as Gere and Lane are quite wonderful in their first of three films together. Both were very good-looking and they do bring out the best in each other. Two supporting actors that really do steal the show are Bob Hoskins and Fred Gwynne as a mob boss and his head bodyguard. They share a tenacity and ferociousness in their dealings, but also have one really terrific scene involving Gwynne coming to see Hoskins after being kidnapped. A young Nicolas Cage also shows here he had incredible potential.
This Broadway version of the gangster film so familiar in Hollywood refreshes both genres as we see the similarities between the two. Indeed, many of the participators in the entertainment were also involved in the mob and Coppola shows how the two lives intertwine and bring a lot of trouble to everyone. This may seem as a strange mixing of genres and story lines for some people, but it is well worth the two hours. It is funny, sad, violent, poetic but also enormously entertaining and isn't that what the movies are all about? Coppola seems to think so., |
The Couch Trip | 5.8 | 5.5K | 29 | 15 | John Williams Burns, Jr. (Dan Aykroyd) has the same prison number, 7474505B, that his earlier characters Jake Blues and Louis Winthorpe III had in "The Blues Brothers (1980)" and "Trading Places (1983)" respectively.,When Dan Aykroyd first gets into the Sheriff's transport van it is a Ford Econoline van. When Becker (Matthau) takes control of the prisoner van it is then a Chevrolet van.,Female announcer: An important message from Mentor condoms.
Condom Father: Dear son. The other day I was rummaging through your room. There was an odor coming out and I wanted to see if your hamster had died. Turned out to be just your old gym socks. Then I ran across a box of your favorite mementos. A four leaf clover. A vending machine photo of you and Sally. And a partially used box of Mentor condoms. It made me proud to think that my son is one of those people who can have his cake and eat it too. Son, I'm proud of you and I'm proud of your choice of condoms. Love, Dad.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Couch Trip/For Keeps/Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam/Rent-a-Cop/The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearn (1988),Fever
by Otis Blackwell (as John Davenport) and Eddie Cooley
Hudson Bay Music, Inc. on behalf of Fort Knox Music, Inc. / Trio Music Company, Inc.,I am surprised that this, well above average 80's comedy scores only a 5.2 from all the IMDB voters. Dan Ackroyd does his usual satirical turn as a con who seizes a great opportunity to steal a contract from his prisons physician. He retreats to California to start his work giving advice on a radio show pretending to be the infamous Dr Lawrence Baird. The only person that knows he's an imposter is the drunken priest (Walter Matthau) who comes along to be pampered by Ackroyd's new found wealth having blakmailed him. Charles Grodin throws in a good supporting performance too. For its genre I think this film deserves the same crediblity as 'Ferris Bueller' or 'Trading Places'. 7.5 / 10, |
The Counselor | 5.4 | 104K | 580 | 347 | Cinema legend Ridley Scott has directed several iconic film masterpieces. See how IMDb users rank all of his feature films as director.,Michael Fassbender agreed to star in this as part of a two-picture deal. The next film would not be a sequel; instead the studio would fund his Assassin's Creed (2016) project.,When the Counselor is in his car, on the phone with the Cartel lawyer, the mobile phone is upside down.,Reiner: Men are attracted to flawed women, too, of course, but their illusion is that they can fix them. Women don't want to fix anything. They only want to be entertained. The truth about women is you can do anything to them except bore them.,The 'Unrated Extended Cut' is 20 minutes longer than the 'Theatrical Cut'(117 min.) and runs nearly 138 minutes. It features new scenes, extended scenes and a little alternative footage. Some scenes are extended substantially, for example the philosophical dialogue between the Counselor and the Diamond Dealer and between the Counselor and the Cartel Leader. In this version the Diamond Dealer is characterized as a Sephardic Jew from Spain with a tragic past involving a deceased woman. The Cartel Leader's extended monologue gains nearly apocalyptic qualities. The sex scene at the beginning is longer and contains stronger sexual activity from Laura. The sexually ambiguous relationship between Laura and Malkina is explored deeper in an additional scene. Reiner tells more anecdotes about his former girlfriends, friends and what he 'learned' about women. The dialogue scenes with Westray contain more details about the unpredictable dangers of the drug trade. The notorious death scene of Westray is extended and more graphic. The 'Unrated Extended Cut' contains in general more profanity and sexual references than the R-rated 'Theatrical Cut'.,Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #22.15 (2013),Theory of Fudu (Diego Iglesias Mix)
Written and Arranged by Jonathan Miguez Vazquez
Performed by John Axiom
Courtesy of Liquid Grooves,I'm not sure what most people were expecting, but it's obvious the movie did not meet whatever that was. If you have so many big names in one movie, those expectations can get very heavy obviously. Still this movie is really good, just not on what some thought it promised them. I haven't seen the trailer yet, but I know those trailers can be deceiving as well as promoting something.
The movie has a very philosophical strain and can be watched a couple of times. There is also a sexual tone that some might find disturbing (especially the car window thing, you'll know when you watch it), but it's all about dominance. And it's about life choices and planting things that you will for better or worse reap ... not everyones cup of tea, but a very strong movie nevertheless., |
Counsellor at Law | 7.6 | 1.5K | 38 | 22 | Although this film is frank about some matters, the Production Code of the Hays Office - i.e., censorship - was still in effect. In one 16mm print there is a curious moment of dead air at the end of Lillian Larue's parting speech to George Simon. She says (approximately), "Well, for God's sake, what do they expect for ten thousand dollars?" John Barrymore keeps looking at Larue (Thelma Todd) as if she is still speaking, and she must be, but there is no sound. Her last words in the text of the play are, "A virgin?",Bessie Green: Who's calling, please? Mr. McKey? K as in kitty?,The opening credits cast list has the heading "The Players" preceding a list solely of the actors' names. "A Good Cast Is Worth Repeating... The Players" is the heading of end credits, which solely lists the same actors' names in the same order as the opening credits.,Featured in American Masters: Directed by William Wyler (1986),What a surprise this film was: the boring title hardly leads you to expect much. Barrymore really shows his chops as a pure actor, someone who can bring off a character through expression, gesture, posture, accent, tone of voice, body language, mannerisms, &c. This is an adaptation of a play about an self-made Jewish lawyer in New York. It's hard to believe that Barrymore was, in life, more like his character's wife than the lawyer he plays here. He brings off the self-made man's insecurities in every detail, from his macho way of walking to his fidgety hands and overloud way of talking and laughing. He even drops some of his g's, and I love the way he says "Yeah" (Oscar Jaffe would blanch). The script is full of telling details. Notice how the lawyer offers a guest a choice of cigar or cigarette from an expensive box, and then forgets to offer him a light. Because Wyler is at the controls, these nuances aren't hammered at the audience either.
Many film scholars have claimed that Wyler, maybe because he avoided catfights with his studio bosses, was no "auteur". Wyler never puffed himself up, either, in the way someone like Welles did. Yet the style is already visible here, long before Deep Focus, in the simultaneous double and triple reaction shots, the multiple planes of action, the underplaying and long takes, the natural dialogue, the strong performances from the bit players-- and most of all in the realistic, accurate, detailed design. This is basically a B movie. It's all shot on one basic set, in fact. But what a set! Get all that Art Deco glass and the Socialist-Realist reliefs.
Those who don't think Wyler had a style should check out "Carrie" (1952), separated from this film by almost 20 years and starring this other guy by the name of Olivier-- who always credited Wyler for teaching him how to act in films. Barrymore maybe got a few pointers for his performance here, too. All in all this is a great way to film a play, and a nice Depression period piece too., |
Count Dracula | 7.3 | 1.7K | 78 | 20 | Bruce Wightman who has a bit part in this was a expert on Bram Stoker and founder of the Dracula Society.,When Renfield grabs the bars of his padded cell we can see that they wobble and are clearly made of rubber.,Count Dracula: Welcome to my house, Mister Harker. Come freely. Go safely.
Jonathan Harker: Count Dracula?
Count Dracula: I am Count Dracula. Will you come in?... And, please, leave here some of the happiness that you bring.,The credits are superimposed over the infamous German woodcuts depicting the crimes of the historical Voivode Vlad Dracula.,Edited into Great Performances: Count Dracula (1978),Faithful to the novel, magnificently performed in every way. This mini-series showed how well a classic novel should be adapted. Coming only 2 years before Langella's performance, Louis Jordan showed how sexy a middle aged man can be in this role.
Thirty-five years after I first saw it, most of it sticks in my memory as the greatest adaptation of Bram Stoker's timeless novel. From the opening scenes as Jonathan Harker makes his way through the Carpathian Mountains to the final scenes as the heroes converge on the Count, this took the approach of being presented in a mini-series format to tell the long story that Bram Stoker conceived.
Lucy's slow transformation from dying waif to lusting vampire is the most memorable scene and may actually be too intense for some viewers.
Far better than Francis Ford Coppola's version of the early 90's. Definitely worth watching annually on Halloween., |
The Count of Monte Cristo | 7.7 | 146K | 671 | 108 | Screenwriter Jay Wolpert came up with the idea, not present in the novel, that Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce) and Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel) started out as best friends. His logic was that it would work better as a "buddy" film that turned sinister. Wolpert believed that when a friendship soured, the hate generated was both more terrible and more believable.,Edmond's eye color fluctuates between brown and blue throughout the movie.,Edmond: Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you: as Albert Mondego, the man!,The UK version had 6 seconds cut by the BBFC to earn a PG certificate instead of a 15. The cuts were to two shots of a man being hanged.,Featured in The Count of Monte Cristo: An Epic Reborn (2002),"The Count of Monte Cristo" (2002), a contempo back-to-basics treatment of the famous Dumas novel for new generations, spins its tale of passion and revenge with all the glory and melodrama of Hollywood's golden years. Full of lavish costuming, sumptuous sets, beautiful locations, dashing men, a gorgeous damsel, dank dungeons, the ever popular swashbuckling (whatever that is) etc., all supported with a classic story makes for 2+ hours of solid entertainment. Who could ask for more? Kick back and enjoy this fun adventure flick worth a trip to the video store. (A-), |
Count Three and Pray | 6.4 | 611 | 16 | 5 | Joanne's Woodward's middle daughter Melissa is supposedly named after the character she played in this.,When Georgina DeCrais gets into her carriage after being handed her package by Yancy Huggins, her dress gets caught in the door of the carriage. After her horses run off, she exits the carriage from the opposite side and her dress being caught doesn't stop her from exiting.,Referenced in Autumn Leaves (1956),Little Brown Jug
Written by Joseph Winner
1,This movie has some of the best dialog I have heard. Joanne Woodward is exceptional in her sassy, contentious character. She steals every scene she appears in. Van Heflin was always good and Raymond Burr I still dislike. A good story and a difficult subject, dealt with in a light hearted but serious way. Just, well done!, |
Countdown | 5.4 | 44K | 459 | 134 | The app featured in the film actually exists. It is owned by the studio and was used to promote the film. If you download it, it gives you a time until death. But if you delete it and download it again, it gives you a different time.,##Spoilers## Quin is given an injection in the arm to revive her after death. Since her heart would have stopped upon death her circulatory system would no longer work. Therefore, anything injected after death would remain at the injection point and never reach the vital organs to revive them.,Father John: [from the trailer] All we have to do is beat the clock by one second.
Father John: If this is a curse, since they come from the devil and his demons than curses can be broken, all you have too do is prove the devil is a liar.,There is a mid-credits scene of the tech salesman's Tinder date.,Featured in Chris Stuckmann Movie Reviews: Countdown (2019),We Bad, We Know
Written by Spencer Bastian (as William Spencer Bastian) and Samuel Martin
Performed by ZOI, BiFox
Courtesy of ZOI Music,Honestly I was in the mood to be spooked, and that's what this movie did. It's all about jump scares, so if that's not your thing then I wouldn't suggest this movie. But I don't know why this movie is getting all these bad scores. If you want to be scared by jump scares and have some laughs then I suggest this movie, |
Countdown to Looking Glass | 6.9 | 687 | 26 | 1 | The nuclear powered aircraft carrier U.S.S. Nimitz (CVN 68) was portrayed in this movie by the museum ship U.S.S. Yorktown (ex CV 10) moored in Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina. The T-2 Buckeye jet trainer which is being towed across the deck during one of Michael Boyle's (Scott Glenn) reports is one of the Yorktown Museum's exhibits.,A news report is coming from "Carswell, Texas," with mountains in the background. Carswell Air Force Base was in Fort Worth, Texas, surrounded by suburbs and trees with no mountains within hundreds of miles.,Don Tobin: Twenty years ago, I used to spend a lot of time talking about... hypothetical nuclear war scenarios with a man who was one of the pioneers in that form of prophecy... he's dead now... really believed in his craft. He said to me once, "Don, I'm convinced that sooner or later there will be a nuclear exchange - but I'm also convinced that when the leaders confront the terror of that exchange, they'll realize they can't get away any longer with playing war games, and they'll turn around... if there's anything to the power of prayer.",One thing has changed since this movie was shown in 1984. ... At the time, it had been a decade since the war in Vietnam had ended. America had lost its stomach for war, and this film about getting into another one would touch lots of nerves.
Now, three or four wars later (who's keeping count anymore?), it should be required viewing.
"Looking Glass" is the name given to the President's flying command post, called that because there are two such planes that look very much alike, mirror images of each other. One is real, the other is the decoy. A chilling piece of information that would convey, if the two planes ever took off, that we really are in a shooting, nuclear war. And as the steps towards the Big War are taken, there is a "countdown" to the takeoff of the Looking Glass command post and decoy. Hence the title.
Gritty realism, a strong strong strong feeling in my gut that, if "it" ever happened, "it" could look exactly like this. I remember that sober churning inside, when I saw this some time in the 1990s. Only this week I was reflecting on how little they actually spent on special effects, but what an explosive wallop they got out of the effects they had, fast paced by the script, the sets, the commentators, everything that HBO had available to tell the story from a network's point of view.
The film had to make me think, and I immediately realized what was the most hard hitting memorable scene for me.
(Not a spoiler, discloses nothing, and is very early in the film) The news anchor turns to interview a "talking head". It is Newt Gingrich, as he was back then, a young young congressperson on his way up.
The anchor points out that the crisis is very deadly. Gingrich agrees.
"We may die," the anchor persists. Again, an agreement.
Then the anchor asks "Is there anything worth dying for?" And Gingrich responds "Tragically, the answer is 'yes'".
He points out that if the US were to back down, we would be submitting to slavery, and that our freedom is worth dying for. Freedom does not come cheaply and should not be yielded. He comes across as more than a leader, certainly a statesman, and in this film performs the thankless job task of saying something we might not want to hear.
I have said this before -- I say a movie is very, very good if I have continued to remember and ponder on it, years and years later. And Looking Glass has stayed with me in that way., |
Counterfeit | null | null | null | null | null |
The Counterfeit Traitor | 7.5 | 2.9K | 45 | 11 | The German spy for the OSS, Frau Marianne Möllendorf in the movie, was a real person whom Erickson fell in love with. Her real name was Anne-Maria Freudenreich. The Swedish national archives in Stockholm have photographs and letters Erickson received from her.,When Erickson goes to the "red light" district in Hamburg to make his contact with the underground, the street is ablaze with light from the windows and street lamps, something that would never have been seen in wartime, when blackout precautions were rigidly imposed - particularly in a city like Hamburg, which was a routine and consistent target of Allied bombers.,Baron Gerhard von Oldenburg: Strange... You can read about a hundred atrocities, hear about a thousand, but you only have to see *one*!,Opening credits classify the cast members by country.,Referenced in Hollywood Without Make-Up (1963),Marianna
Music by Alfred Newman
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster,When I hear the title THE COUNTERFEIT TRAITOR, I immediately think of my father because he often said it was his favorite spy film.
Seeing it, years later, I understand why. WILLIAM HOLDEN was in the middle of a winning streak of films at this time and establishing a secure foothold on his reputation as one of Hollywood's finest actors.
Since his role requires him to start as a cynical character, before he becomes convinced of the justness of his cause, it's a role that might well have gone to someone like HUMPHREY BOGART. But Holden, fortunately, got the part of the Swedish oil merchant who, through extortion and blackmail, is chosen by HUGH GRIFFITH to act as a spy against the Nazis in Denmark.
He does so, unwillingly at first, but gradually, through his meeting with another spy, LILI PALMER (in one of her best roles), comes to see things the way she does. The moment Palmer comes into the film, the plot thickens and interest mounts. The final result is a spy film that is truly mesmerizing, able to get a powerful grip on your heart and emotions, full of colorful action and intrigue.
Stunning location photography in and around Copenhagen is a plus factor, as is the rousing score by Alfred Newman. Holden has never been more persuasive in a role that fits him like a glove.
Taken from a true-life story, espionage tales don't come any better than this., |
The Counterfeiters | 7.5 | 47K | 127 | 170 | First Austrian film to win an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film Category.,While Sally and Kolya are being transported on a moving train, a German guard is bringing them food. In the camp hierarchy, German guards seldom interacted with prisoners, instead having other prisoners undertake menial tasks of serving food. Prisoners were seldom fed during transport as these cattle-wagons were not inter-connected and most likely locked from outside.,Salomon 'Sally' Sorowitsch: Ich bin ich. Die anderen sind die anderen.
[I'm myself. Everyone else is everyone else],Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008),Down By The Riverside
(uncredited),I just saw this movie in London last night. There were 5 people in the audience (including myself). What a shame because this was a solid piece of film-making. If you haven't seen The Counterfeiters, go see it. Here's why.
The acting is outstanding all the way through. You will learn more about counterfeiting efforts by the Nazis to undermine the British and Americans. This movie has numerous layers to it, and avoids the typical clichés that all Germans acted one way, and all Jews acted another way. You learn the subtle ways that control over other people is used to manipulate them. Do you put aside your beliefs in order to survive? If so, are you being true to those beliefs? Is it better to be a dead, morally right person or a live, less moral one? These are central themes. Finally, does how we make our wealth matter? These aren't ideas unique to cinema, but the way the movie presents them is., |
The Counterfeiters of Paris | 7 | 1.4K | 9 | 3 | The scenes taking place in South America were in fact shot in Normandy because Jean Gabin refused to go outside France.,Dust is seen taking off the dirt race track when the horses are filmed from the front, revealing a vehicle transporting a camera.,Charles Lepicard: Entre-nous Dab, une supposition, je dis bien une supposition, que j'ai un graveur, du papier et que j'imprime pour un milliard de bifton, en admettant, je dis bien que c'est toujours une supposition, en admettant que l'on soit cinq sur l'affaire, cela rapporterait net combien à chacun?
Ferdinand Maréchal dit 'Le Dabe': 20 ans de placard, les bénéfices cela se divise, la réclusion, cela s'additionne!,'Touchez-pas au Grisbi' was the first in the Max le Menteur trilogy of Albert Simonin. The film under review is the second and 'Les Tontons Flingueurs' the third. All three adaptations have dialogue by the great Michel Audiard. This is the eighth collaboration of director Gilles Grangier with the irrepressible Jean Gabin whose career had been revitalised by 'Grisbi' in 1956. He has here one of his best roles of the 1960's as a master counterfeiter.There is tremendous support from Bernard Blier, Frank Villard, Balpetre, Martine Carol, Ginette Leclerc and the imperious Francoise Rosay. It is Gabin who is gifted the best lines notably 'the greatest failed businesses are built on trust'! Extremely entertaining with never a dull moment. Comedy is a serious business of course but I would like to think that the cast had as much fun in making this film as I had in watching it., |
Countess Dracula | 5.9 | 4.7K | 82 | 92 | The picture that appears behind the opening credits is an 1896 painting by Hungarian artist Istvan Csok. It shows the real Countess Bathory enjoying the torture of some young women by her servants. In an inner courtyard of one of her castles, the naked girls are being drenched with water and allowed to freeze to death in the snow.,When the young boys in the forest discover the body of the girl, they run way and holler for help. In the next shot, the girl is breathing.,Captain Dobi: And what will your daughter say? She arrives tomorrow and she'll find you as young as she is.,Although cinema cuts were requested by the BBFC (and the film remains listed as cut on their website) the edits were never made following an appeal by Hammer to chief censor Stephen Murphy.,Featured in Commander USA's Groovie Movies: Commander USA's Groovie Movies: The Aztec Mummy/Countess Dracula/Zorro's Black Whip/Undersea Kingdom (1985),"Countess Dracula" concerns itself with the mysterious events that slowly unfold around the time of the ascension of the witch-like Countess Elisabeth(Ingrid Pitt),a corrupt and mysterious woman who discovers that by bathing in the blood of virgins,she can restore some of her former beauty.Attempting to not only reap the more favorable parts of her husband's will,but also marry the young Lt. Toth(Sandor Eles),she manipulates the love-struck Captain Dobi(Nigel Green)into doing her dirty work."Countess Dracula" by Peter Sasdy deals with Erzebet Bathory who bathed in the blood of young virgins to maintain her vitality.The film is well-directed and superbly acted and offers a little bit of nudity.Ingrit Pitt is excellent and she brings a lot of mystery to the role of the near-dead,rotting Countess who discovers the sanguine curative powers of life liquid.Give this Hammer classic a look.8 out of 10., |
A Countess from Hong Kong | 6 | 6.8K | 67 | 27 | While Marlon Brando had always greatly admired Sir Charles Chaplin's work and looked upon him as "probably the most talented man the [movie] medium has ever produced," the two superstars did not get along during the shooting of this movie. In his autobiography, Brando described Chaplin as "probably the most sadistic man I'd ever met." Chaplin, on his side, said that working with Brando simply was "impossible.",During "everybody is getting sea-sick" scene Ogden, Natascha and Harvey push an ashtray around the table until Ogden angrily swipes it off the table. Shortly after it's back on the table in front of Natascha's chair and in the next shot it moves over to be in front of Ogden's chair, although nobody is at the table at that time.,Baroness: No, no, don't turn it off. Music complements champagne.,Featured in Biography: Sophia Loren: Actress Italian Style (1997),This is my Song
Music by Charles Chaplin
Lyrics by Charles Chaplin
Performed by Petula Clark,Not as dull as I was lead to believe... Brando is miscast, he seems to have participated as favour to the legendary Chaplin. (Chaplin shouldn´t have asked him. Maybe the stuffy Sydney Chaplin would have been better in the lead...) Sophia is a trouper, jumping out of chairs, pretending to be sick... very kind of her to sink to that level... Again, it must have been the honour of having been chosen by Chaplin...
The story has potential as a romantic comedy but the film is a bit too long and slow with the sometimes funny jokes far between...
Very interesting to see though, with many interesting side characters like the butler Hudson, Tippi Hedren from "The Birds" in a thankless role as the chilly wife, granddaughter Geraldine Chaplin in a bit part and the very underrated Angela Scoular as the society girl who steals the entire movie... The film must have seemed quite dated when it was released in the restless sixties. Worth checking out..., |
Country | 8.2 | 1M | 2.1K | 534 | According to a January 2018 article in Business Insider, a group of psychiatrists studied 400 movies and identified 126 psychopathic characters. They chose Javier Bardem's portrayal of Anton Chigurh as the most clinically accurate portrayal of a psychopath.,Radio transmitting devices in the early 1980s would have used large batteries to transmit for lengthy periods of time and due to the batteries not holding a charge. Such a device would have been noticeable inside of the briefcase as it would have been at least the size of a box of bank checks or larger.
Smaller transmitters only became possible with the widespread introduction of cellular technology from the mid-1990s and forward. It would not have been available in the film's 1980s setting.,Anton Chigurh: What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?
Gas Station Proprietor: Sir?
Anton Chigurh: The most. You ever lost. On a coin toss.
Gas Station Proprietor: I don't know. I couldn't say.
[Chigurh flips a quarter from the change on the counter and covers it with his hand],"Serious Matters .... Patricia Mary Murphy, Esq." "The One Right Tool .... Drew Houpt",Edited into The Clock (2010),Puño de tierra
Written by Michael Eloy Sánchez
Performed by Angel H. Alvarado Jr., David A. Gomez, Milton Hernandez and John Mancha,While on a hunting trip, a sportsman (Josh Brolin) finds dead men and a stash of cash in the remote back country of West Texas, the result of a drug deal gone wrong. The greedy hunter takes the cash, but soon discovers that the resourceful criminal responsible for the drug deal, an outlaw named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), has a way of tracking the loot. The hunter thus finds that he is the hunted. Meanwhile, an aging Texas sheriff named Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is after both the sportsman and Chigurh. The story is set in the early 1980s.
To some extent, this film is a character study of Sheriff Bell, an honest lawman who is wise, observant, grounded in reality, and has a long memory. "No Country For Old Men" is really his story. He doesn't know quite what to make of the drug war that has crossed over from Mexico into Texas; it's something new (for the 1980s); and it makes a land that has always been hostile to settlers even more hostile and dangerous.
The film's premise is quite simple, and the story is straightforward with minimal twists. A lot of time and care are taken with procedural actions: loading a gun, dressing a bloody wound, constructing a pole to retrieve a package from an air vent, for example. Dialogue is minimal; there's lots of silence.
Overall casting and acting are impressive. I especially liked the performance of Tommy Lee Jones who seemed a natural choice for the role of Sheriff. Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin are also well cast. Several minor roles are extremely well performed, like the store owner who is asked to call a coin toss, and the rotund lady who, with a dour face, defies Chigurh's requests in a characteristic Texas twang.
The film's color cinematography is quite good; there are lots of sweeping, wide-angle outdoor shots. I really enjoyed the geographic setting, with that whistling West Texas wind, the silence, and the stunning vistas. It's a landscape that is starkly beautiful. Yet, despite its beauty and wilderness traits, it can quickly turn hostile and unforgiving for anyone unprepared for its hidden risks.
"No Country For Old Men" is a fine film. I'd describe it as a chase story -- character study combo, with elements of noir, especially in the visuals. Violence may be a tad much for some viewers. But given the subject matter, it is entirely appropriate., |
The Country Bears | 4.2 | 6K | 94 | 39 | Daryl Mitchell's final movie before becoming paraplegic from a motorcycle accident in November 2001.,When Ted is in the boat on the way to save the rest of the crew, he turns the corner the boat goes up on one wheel and the two extra wheels underneath that make the stunt possible are briefly visible.,Reed Thimple: [after destorying a model of Country Bear Hall] Oh no, Country Bear Hall has been crushed!,At the beginning of the credits, additional clips of music personalities telling their "memories" of the Country Bears are played on a video screen.,Featured in Nostalgia Critic: Top 11 Most Awkward Christopher Walken Moments (2010),Let It Ride
Written by John Hiatt
Produced by Jay Joyce
Performed by John Hiatt,This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Its got comedy, drama, a love story, and GREAT music. Not only have the Henson puppeteers made the most realistic bears(watch the mouths forming the words), but the suit performers bring them to life so fantastically that I forgot they were suits. The film features good family values, as Beary finds out "Its the people who love you no matter what, .. thats your family" This Disney film is for any one who has a family with kids, or anyone who is just a kid at heart. The DVD has some great extra features including an on stage concert. Forget the negative comments and give the bears a chance!, |
The Country Girl | 7.2 | 6.5K | 70 | 33 | Bing Crosby almost turned down the film because he thought he was too old for his character and wouldn't be able to play him.,During the first New York show, when Cook visits Bernie's dressing room, telegrams can be seen inserted into the frame of the mirror. One angle shows a telegram in the top right corner of the mirror. Another angle shows a gap between the right side of the frame and the telegram.,Georgie Elgin: Let's say I try my small way to help.
Bernie Dodd: That's what my ex-wife used to keep me reminding of, cheerfully. She had a theory that behind every great man there was a great woman. She also was thoroughly convinced that she was great and all I needed to qualify was guidance on her part.
Georgie Elgin: Still does not prove that the theory is completely wrong. I imagine one can go through history and find a few good examples.,Edited into Mika: Grace Kelly (2007),Dissertation on the State of Bliss (Love and Learn Blues)
by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin
Sung by Jacqueline Fontaine and Bing Crosby,Bing Crosby's career reached its dramatic heights in The Country Girl. In fact the trio of Crosby, Grace Kelly, and William Holden all hit incredible highs with this one. Clifford Odets's play was a good backstage drama without any great political statement that characterized his earlier work
It would be another three years before Bing Crosby would do a film without singing at all. But for those who've never seen the Odets play, the story is one without any music. Crosby's role on Broadway was originated by Paul Kelly. When Paramount bought the screen rights they had Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin write the songs that Crosby sings in The Country Girl. Curiously enough none of them, good that they were, became any kind of hit for Bing. Also this was Ira Gershwin's last score for either the stage of screen.
It's fitting that Grace Kelly won her Oscar for this part. Uta Hagen who played Georgie Elgin on Broadway won a Tony for her performance. Kelly was up against some stiff competition that year and upset the betting favorite Judy Garland for A Star Is Born. Other nominees included Dorothy Dandridge for Carmen Jones, Jane Wyman for Magnificent Obsession and Audrey Hepburn for Sabrina. I suppose it was the fact that Kelly was cast against type in her portrayal. Usually playing chic blonde princesses, she's almost dowdy looking in this film.
Crosby plumbed some dramatic depths also and was nominated for Frank Elgin. However after three successive years of being nominated and not winning, Marlon Brando was not going to be denied in 1954. The rest of that field included Humphrey Bogart for The Caine Mutiny, James Mason for A Star Is Born and Dan O'Herlihy for Robinson Crusoe. Not a shabby field there either and Crosby's personal best came up against Brando's consolation for not winning for Streetcar Named Desire. Oscar politics at its finest.
Bill Holden's part of Bernie Dodd was originated on Broadway by Steven Hill who today's audiences know as DA Adam Schiff from Law and Order. After years of playing what he called "Smiling Jim" roles, his acting took on some bite with Sunset Boulevard. He's a cynical man here also, but there was an additional edge here. One of the plot elements was alcoholic Crosby knowing about Holden's bad marriage and using that knowledge to blame his bad behavior on Kelly. Holden was in the midst of a bad marriage himself, the only one he ever had. Marked by bitterness, recriminations, and mutual infidelities, he and Brenda Marshall stayed married for over 20 years for the sake of their children. When Holden's Bernie Dodd talks about his former wife there's an edge that I'm sure came from personal experience.
The only other role of any size is that of producer Phil Cook and it's played Anthony Ross. Another plot element is Holden's championing Crosby going head to head a few times with Ross who never really wanted him in his show. One of Ross's condition to using Crosby is that he given a contract with a two weeks notice clause and not a run of the play contract. Ross gets hoisted on his own petard for that one. Sadly this was Ross's last film, he died the following year.
The Country Girl is mature and intelligent and avoids the usual Hollywood clichés concerning show business stories. Even if you're not a fan of any or all of its three stars, this can be enjoyed on its artistic merits., |
Country Strong | 6.3 | 19K | 123 | 133 | Garrett Hedlund auditioned at a karaoke bar in Koreatown singing a Pearl Jam song. According to director Shana Feste, "It really wasn't the best showcase ever of his voice, but Garrett went to school for us. Literally, he took four months off and started learning how to play the guitar, took voice lessons, went to Nashville early, started working with Nathan Chapman, a record producer in Nashville who produces Miranda Lambert. I mean, he became a country singer.",When reading her flash cards in the van, Chiles (Leighton Meester) claims that General Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines in 1946. World War II was well over by then; he actually returned in 1944 after the battle of Leyte whereupon he uttered the famous words, "I have returned.",Kelly Canter: [quoting Waylon Jennings' lyrics] "If you see me getting smaller, I'm leaving, don't be grieving, just gotta get away from here. If you see me getting smaller, don't worry, and no hurry, I've got the right to disappear.",Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Town/I'm Still Here/Easy A (2010),Silver Wings
Written by Merle Haggard
Produced by Frank Liddell and Luke Wooten
Performed by Garrett Hedlund,I loved this movie. It wasn't what I expected at all, but I really enjoyed it and did tear up a couple of times. I have to say I am very surprised by the harsh reviews by critics and some of the users on here!
The movie is a bit too long at almost 2 hours. I think a couple of the acting scenes were repetitive, but I am glad they did not cut any of the music they had. There is a LOT of music but the actors all pull it off quite well, with some of the songs actually being recognizable as real country songs if you are familiar with the genre.
I must admit I am a huge country music fan and I like all country, not just the newer pop stuff. So take my review knowing that. However, I did take 3 people with me to the advance screening and 2 of them listen to NO country music. All 4 of us thought the movie was great. Three of us cried.
I think the previews are marketing the movie all wrong. It looks like it will be an uplifting film that shows us the bad stuff in the beginning, then maybe a bump or two, then everybody winds up happy and "Country Strong." This is not the case at all.
It is a sad look at addiction but I think more realistic than someone coming out of rehab and everything being sunshine and lollipops. The characters are all flawed, with perhaps Beau being the only one who comes out in a mostly positive light, but even he has his issues and is far from perfect.
It also looks like Gwyneth is the only lead in the previews, but all 4 major characters have quite a large amount of time on screen and I think Beau has the same (or maybe even more) screen time as Gwyneth. I had never heard of this actor (had no clue he has the lead in TRON) and I came home to look him up immediately because I thought surely he was a real up and coming country singer.
Gwyneth's voice is really good, and if Garrett or Leighton ever made a country album, I would buy it. Tim doesn't sing in the movie but has a song on the soundtrack, but that was the way he wanted it and I respect him for that. This was the first movie of Tim's where I did forget at least a couple of times that I was looking at "THE" Tim McGraw. He was fine in Blindside, but it was a small role.
If you have a passionate hatred for country, I do not think you will enjoy the movie because there is a lot of singing in it. However, you do not need to love country as I do to enjoy it. If you can so much as tolerate it or accept the singers as being talented, I think you'll be fine.
I plan to buy the soundtrack, but wish it had more from Garrett and Leighton because they each sang a lot more than 1 song in the movie!, |
The Countryman and the Cinematograph | 5.7 | 758 | 7 | 2 | Featured in Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood: Where It All Began (1995),This early classic is done rather cleverly, is amusing, and is even a little thought-provoking. The rudimentary special camera effects really work just fine, and the scenario is so economical and straightforward that it belies the substance that underlies what you see. The story starts with an outgoing, but rather dull-witted, person watching movies and reacting to them in various ways. It's very simple, but done skillfully enough, and it's interesting in at least a couple of other ways.
The concept of using other films and film itself as points of reference has clearly been around almost as long as cinema itself. Some early films handled such material in a fashion that is both amusing and efficient. Unfortunately, film-makers of the present too often over-indulge in the use of self-referential devices, and in an overabundance of references to other films, popular songs, and the like, far beyond the point where any of this serves a constructive purpose.
Then too, since cinema began, the basic idea of confusing film with reality has changed only in terms of the specific applications. It's easy enough to laugh at the "Countryman", as we were meant to do in this feature, but viewers of movies and television in any era often find difficulty in separating film from reality: in forming opinions, in their priorities, and in their attitudes towards life. Just as the "Countryman" doesn't quite understand the nature of what he is seeing, so too, many films can dazzle the senses of today's audiences, and persuade uncritical viewers to think that the films have more substance than they really do. So there's more to this feature than merely a clever little film about the ways that early movies affected their viewers over a century ago., |
Coup de Torchon | 7.4 | 6.6K | 40 | 41 | The singer Eddy Mitchell, in a major fictional role for the first time, thought he was so bad after watching the dailies that he insisted to do some of his scenes once again. Because no one would agree, he jokingly stated: "since I'm actually the richest one of the crew, I'll pay for all the scenes I'm allowed to do again" and was almost taken seriously. From then on, he never went to watch the dailies again.,Towards the end, Rose is walking on the pier and after they say in a loudspeaker 'Attention! Curfew tonight at 9 o'clock...', she turns around and the shadow of the cameraman can be clearly seen on the ground on her right.,Lucien Cordier: Do you know why dogs sniff each other's butts? When dogs still ruled the world, they held a convention to vote new laws. The head dog said: "I suggest that due to poor hygiene here, our assholes we leave at the door." The dogs agreed and de-assholed. But just then, a tornado blew in and mixed all the assholes up. Not one dog recognized his own. Ever since, they smell each other's asses. And it'll go on till the end of time.,In the opening credits, we are correctly informed that the film is based on the novel "Pop. 1280"; but during the end titles, we are informed that it is based on "Pop. 1275". This is consistent with the official title retained for the translation into French, which is "1275 Ames" (literally: "1275 Souls"), and which reflects the fact that 5 people have died during the course of action.,Featured in Keskiyön auringon kuvat (1987),Bertrand Tavernier has taken the novel "TOP 1280" by Jim Thompson set in North Carolina and produced a riveting French film noir set in Senegal in 1938. At that time it was a French colony that exhibited similar social and racial patterns as in the American South. The use of color and humor add a new dimension to the genre. Tavernier in his comments about the film on the DVD talks about the change in the light in the late afternoon in west Africa. It becomes less intense so he uses pastel colors. Note the light blue walls and the pink shirt of Philippe Noiret who is superb as the village policeman Cordier. Isabelle Huppert who plays the mistress of Cordier with intensity and humor and the other actors make this a must see film. There is much humor in the film but be aware that there are many violent scenes. This is French film noir at it's best., |
Couples Retreat | 5.5 | 113K | 201 | 163 | The actual St. Regis in Bora Bora, where this was filmed, has a channel on their televisions that plays this movie over and over.,Both Kristin Davis and Malin Akerman break character in the group yoga scene, and are laughing hysterically and trying to hide it.,Salvadore: Please, allow me to put on something more proper.,After the credits there is another scene featuring Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau and Faizon Love.,Featured in The Jay Leno Show: Episode #1.8 (2009),Na Na
Written by A.R. Rahman, BlaaZe, Vivian Chaix
Performed by A.R. Rahman, BlaaZe, Vivian Chaix, A R Ameen, Clinton and Dominic,I watched this for free On Demand and still felt ripped off. Where do I start? The tone is so uneven that the scenes with the therapists are played straight despite the fact that two of them were played by John Michael Higgins and Ken Jeong, two guys who must struggle NOT to get laughs. It is almost as if they hired the actors and then decided to go a different direction -- if they even put that much thought into it. Before this debacle finally and mercifully staggers to an end it starts to feel as if they are literally making it up as they go along. There is no clear reason for this movie to even exist except as an excuse for the cast and crew to enjoy an nice tropical vacation, squeezing in a little movie work while they are there. Lazy, unprofessional filmmaking that is an insult to the audience., |
Courage | 8.3 | 49K | 99 | 4 | Courage's dialogue decreased after the first season. This is because the creators at Cartoon Network thought Courage "talked too much" and wanted his dialogue cut short.,Throughout the series, the closet under the staircase in the living room appears and disappears in some episodes.,Muriel: Courage, you know I can't hear without my glasses...,The episode end title evolved with each season:
The first season has Courage holding up a scribbled end title card
the second and third seasons have an ornate sculpture of a bowing Courage
and the final season has a CGI Courage taking a bow.,Featured in The 1st 13th Annual Fancy Anvil Awards Show Program Special: Live in Stereo (2002),Call me a softie but I just love Courage! His weekly exploits as he saves his owners from certain doom are just wonderful. The animation is terrific and the plots are funny and well written.
Anyone who dislikes this show has no sense of humor.
Oh, and if Johnny has five apples and Davey has four apples, why don't they just shut up and eat?
Stupid dog!, |
Courage for Every Day | 6.4 | 323 | 1 | 6 | Award: Grand Prix de la Critique Tchécoslovaque 1965.,Edited into CzechMate: In Search of Jirí Menzel (2018),"Everyday Courage" or "Courage for Every Day" is a beautifully made fllm of great poetic restraint about a young man living in Prague before the collapse of communism. It is best described as belonging to the school of realism which marked the Czech films of the sixties, and its director, Evald Schorm, was noted for his refusal to compromise the subject matter or style of his films with the regime which controlled the film studios. An admirer of the films of the British director Lindsay Anderson, "Everyday Courage" has similarities with"This Sporting Life", its hero striving to escape the repressive forces of a society against which he rebels, but which ultimately demoralizes him and undermines his personal relationships. The winner of the International Film Festival in 1965 it has been notably neglected, and was one of the most moving and lyrical films to emerge from the Czech school. One can only hope that a distributor makes it widely available., |
Courage Under Fire | 6.6 | 58K | 132 | 66 | In order to lose the required amount of weight for the present-day scenes, Matt Damon went on a strict regimen of food deprivation and physical training. This caused his health to become so frail that he was put on medical supervision for several months after the shoot. However, his efforts didn't go unnoticed: director Francis Ford Coppola was so impressed by Damon's display of method acting that he offered him the leading role in The Rainmaker (1997). While making , after regaining his healthy weight, Damon met Steven Spielberg (who was then casting ). Spielberg told Damon that he had loved his performance in this movie and had wanted to hire him to play Private Ryan, but was afraid that Damon was too skinny. Once Spielberg saw Damon at his normal weight, he hired him for Ryan.,The Medal of Honor is never placed around the neck of anyone but the recipient of the award.,Nathaniel Serling: I work at the Pentagon, Sergeant, so I'll admit I'm a little slow on the uptake, otherwise I'd say that you just threatened me. Did you just threaten me, soldier? Because if you did, let me respond to you...
[turns off tape recorder]
Nathaniel Serling: Let me respond to you this way. I'm an officer, and therefore, by proclamation, a gentleman, but don't abuse that, son. Don't get in my crosshairs, because I'll have no compunction whatsoever about getting up to my neck in yo' ass. Do you understand me?,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Independence Day/Special Effects/Phenomenon (1996),Angel from Montgomery
Written by John Prine,The story is a simple one. Washington is a Lt. Colonel responsible for some accidental deaths during a tank battle in the Gulf War. The experience leaves him feeling pretty lousy. He neglects his family and begins drinking. He's assigned to investigate the suitability of Meg Ryan as a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor. She was flying a medevac helicopter to a crash site when her aircraft was shot down by small arms fire and, apparently, she stayed behind voluntarily and ordered her crew to save themselves while she covered them. Washington interviews the crew members and gets different stories. In one story Ryan behaves heroically as described. In a second, she is a coward and collapses under fire. In yet a third, the truth emerges. Yeah, it's Rashomon, but not as original or subtle.
Still it's pretty good. And, Gott sei dank, it is not a story in which a woman proves herself as a good as a man, despite the fact that she is a member of the weaker sex. (What condescension.) Meg Ryan is a capable and courageous officer who happens to be a woman. Her sex is important to the politicians who are positively drooling over the prospect of awarding her the decoration, but isn't really important to the narrative.
The performances are better than I'd expected. Everyone, in fact, is quite good in their different ways. Matt Damon, in particular, gives a sensitive performance as a guilt-ridden medic, and looks the part, somewhat ascetic, his facial features askew with uncertainty. Meg Ryan doesn't have a chance to do more than shout orders with a Texas accent but she registers pain and determination well. Lou Diamond Phillips is perhaps the least articulated character, but that may be the fault of the role as written, which is fairly complex but a little obvious. Denzel Washington is the central figure. He's good as carrying that burden of guilt left over from his battlefield mistake but isn't too convincing as a drunk. In the end, he relieves himself of some of that torture by visiting the parents of one of the men he had killed and confessing his part in the incident. The first few times I saw this I kept thinking what some other actors would have done with this scene, but the last time I found his incarnate remorse rather moving.
There is one scene delicately shot, an uneasy exchange between the lying Damon and the perceptive Washington that's beautifully staged and acted, and another memorable first encounter between Washington and Phillips, in which both actors probe the edges of insubordination. Michael Dolan stands out in a featured bit part as a hospital orderly.
The battle scenes are well done, although a little confusing, as I'm sure they would have been at the time. Some generic conventions are adhered to. Four of our guys can slaughter dozens of them. The enemy runs headlong into a hail of bullets. But there are some interesting twists given to the situation. The Iraqis on the other side of the hill can be heard laughing at our boys (and our woman). And the ending is revisionist, but I won't go into it. Justice outs, let's say that.
It's a worthwhile watch for any number of reasons. Craftsmanlike if not poetic., |
Courageous | 6.9 | 21K | 228 | 29 | While filming at the dark house where Adam and Shane search for the suspects, there was a real gang nearby who got used to them being there, thinking they were only actors, but there were a few real officers with them who carried out a real arrest during a drug deal while filming was going on.,When the thug is put into the back of the squad car with Javier, the boom mic is reflected in the car's rear window.,Pastor Hunt: I have heard many people say, who have lost a loved one, that in some ways it is like learning to live with an amputation. You do heal, but you are never the same.,Referenced in Faith Based (2020),Your Love
(Brandon Heath, Jason Ingram)
(c) 2010 Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing/Big Skwawka Music (ASCAP)
All rights on behalf of Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing and Big Swawka Music admin. By Sony/ATV Timber Publishing/West Main Music/Windsor Hill Music (SESAC).
Performed by,This is the second movie this year I've seen that frequently mentions God in addressing issues of faith, the first being The Grace Card. This one concerns four cops and one laborer being tested on their beliefs. At least one of them has an addiction and another is challenged before a possible promotion. And one more has a family tragedy. But, for the most part, they managed to survive and become even stronger from their decisions. Quite inspirational and occasionally funny too. And, yes, there are some heroic action scenes as well to keep things exciting. Really, I wasn't initially sure I'd really like this one especially when I was able to predict some scenes and lines but, overall, I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good drama with a fine lesson.,Your guide to all the new movies and shows streaming on Prime Video in the US this month., |
The Courier | 7.2 | 69K | 373 | 167 | Screenwriter Tom O'Connor found out as much as he could about Greville Wynne and Oleg Penkovsky. Their relationship is mentioned in several books but only in fragments. "There's enough to understand the basics," stated O'Connor. "A lot of the events were and remain classified, and so sometimes, finding out what exactly happened was a challenge because there is active misinformation being put out by both sides. People don't necessarily want everything on-the-record.",In a panoramic shot of Moscow, Wynne walks along the embankment opposite the building of the Ministry of Defense. Although it was built in 1951, a late 2014 annex with two-headed eagles on the friezes is visible. In Soviet times, two-headed eagles were a symbol of czarism and under no circumstances could they appear on an official building in the center of Moscow.,Oleg Penkovsky: Greville, we are only two people. But this is how things change.,Vintage news footage of the real Greville Wynne is shown.,Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Movies of 2021 (So Far) (2021),Cheers
Composed by Roger Webb
Published by de Wolfe Ltd
Courtesy of de Wolfe Ltd,The Courier (2020) is an English movie directed by Dominic Cooke. The film takes place during the height of the Cold War.
It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Greville Wynne, a middle-class mid-level British business man. Oleg Penkovsky, portrayed by Mereb Ninindze, is a high-ranking Soviet official who knows that there's a real chance of nuclear war.
British intelligence recruits Wynne to make a connection with Penkovsky. His job will be to bring back important information that will help the western powers. Rachel Brosnahan portrays a U. S. CIA agent who is working with British intelligence.
The film succeeds or fails on the work of Cumberbatch. He's a superb actor, and the movie falls into place on the basis of his acting. (In fairness, he's such a competent actor that I had a little trouble accepting him as a less-than-competent businessman.) Ninindze does good work, but I had trouble accepting Brosnahan as a CIA agent. (Mrs. Maisel, yes. CIA, no.) For the record, I also had trouble with the basic assumption that the CIA agents were the good guys.
This movie provides an intense, claustrophobic experience. It's very well done, but at the other end of the spectrum from James Bond spy movies. We saw this film on the small screen, where it worked well. It has a barely adequate IMDb rating of 7.1. I thought that it was better than that, and rated it 8., |
Court | 7.7 | 17K | 70 | 10 | According to series creator Reinhold Weege on the season 1 DVD commentary, when it is mentioned in the first episode that Harry Stone is a Mel Tormé fan, friends and relatives of the famed jazz and pop singer called Tormé to tell him about the reference. Tormé was so flattered that when the series later contacted him about appearing on the show, he was more than happy to do so. Tormé has also stated that largely due to the "Night Court" references, he noticed that his audience at concerts started to get younger and younger, and that his newfound resurgence was because of the show.,In the cafeteria, the exit doors are labeled with "These Doors Must Remain Unlocked During Business Hours". This is a California State requirement (where the series is shot), and is not seen in New York (where the series is set).,Dan Fielding: [to Harry] If you weren't born, Walt Disney would have to draw you.,Featured in The 36th Primetime Emmy Awards (1984),Of all the great sitcoms that came out of the 80s, this one takes the cake as my favorite. The cast couldn't be better and the gags are still hilarious even today. Excellent performances all-around, especially by Anderson and Larroquette.
On a side note, one of my favorite quotes of all-time comes from "Night Court" ---
Man in courtroom: "Why is the sky blue?" Harry: "Because if it was green, we wouldn't know where to stop mowing.",We salute the brilliant women behind all those unforgettable laughs on the small screen., |
The Court of Honor | 7.4 | 595 | 18 | 19 | The original title for this film was "Cosmic FuKC. Prog rock pond scums set to bum you out.",I knew nothing about Crimson King.
I had listened to a little bit of their music and it told me nothing, so I never paid any more attention.
After watching this film, I can proudly say I know very little about the facts, names, impact, etc of the band.
I feel I know what drives the band, what they are trying to do, what cost it comes at, and even maybe what they get out of it.
And I quite like that was the take of the film. I can learn all the data in Wikipedia if I'm so inclined; I can listen to their recordings any time I want; this film fills a different gap.
I'm still not keen on what they create and how they dress it up. But it doesn't matter. This is not a film for fans, it's a film for people who care about a craft whichever that craft might be., |
The Court Jester | 7.8 | 14K | 137 | 47 | Features Basil Rathbone's final sword fight on film.,When Hubert and Maid Jean are nearing King Roderick's castle, Sir Ravenhurst and Sir Locksley watch their arrival through telescopes, an invention of the 17th century.,Hawkins: I've got it! I've got it! The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true! Right?
Griselda: Right. But there's been a change: they broke the chalice from the palace!
Hawkins: They *broke* the chalice from the palace?
Griselda: And replaced it with a flagon.,The opening credits are a musical number where Hawkins dances around the credits as they appear. This is also the manner of a medieval theatre where an actor serves as a prologue to introduce the story.,Featured in The Dick Cavett Show: Danny Kaye (1971),The Maladjusted Jester
Written by Sylvia Fine
Performed by Danny Kaye,A supremely wacky and delightful Danny Kaye comedy.
Kaye plays a court jester impostor who infiltrates a king's court in order to put in motion a plan hatched by a scrappy band of Robin Hoodesque rebels who want to depose the tyrant and put the rightful heir on the throne. Unfortunately for Kaye, but fortunately for us, the plot is not as simple as it sounds, not when a traitor in the king's court (Basil Rathbone) has formulated his own plan to have the jester assassinate the king, and especially not when the king's saucy daughter (Angela Lansbury) has set her sights on marrying the jester as a way to avoid having to marry a rival king with whom her father wants to forge an alliance.
Kaye is absolutely hysterical, whether he's singing and dancing a big production number with a band of midgets or jousting with a rival knight while wearing a magnetized suit of armor. Glynis Johns plays a member of Kaye's merry band with whom Kaye has fallen in love, and Mildred Natwick plays the witch Griselda, who at one point tries to help Kaye poison a rival by explaining that the pellet with the poison is in the vessel with the pestle while the chalice with the palace has the brew that is true.
Grade: A-, |
Cousin Cousine | 6.7 | 1.7K | 17 | 14 | Was a surprise box office hit in America, becoming the most popular French film in the US since A Man and a Woman (1966).,All entries contain spoilers,Marthe: I want to cry, but I can't. I've never known how to cry. I try but I can't.,Featured in Stanley: Every Home Should Have One (1984),This movie was great. It was shown on Bravo cable channel here in America. I was a little buzzed from a night out and came back and found this flic on.
I got it right at the beginning and was taken by the charming chemistry between the two cousins and the very sly and low-key nature of the relationship. That was a great part of the appeal of the movie for me. I also liked the two lead performances. Both were quite quietly confident and did not feel the need to throw themselves at the viewer in order to be seen.
I enjoyed the fact that they thought about how best to get a rise out of their significant others. Well, I thought that was interesting and it showed two thoughtful people considering how best to achieve their goal and not totally consumed by lust. The reactions of the two effected spouses were very funny too. The two who were in the affair were very funny as they tried to contrive more and more ways to get back at their spouses. It was very interesting and not as glossed over as Hollywood films in which it takes the two cheating partners about 17.23 seconds to jump in the sack together. This movie played itself out and one could see how they moved from a platonic to a full relationship., |
Cousins | 6.3 | 2K | 33 | 6 | Lucas Hantz: You do not have to take off my underwear. I already did.,...when talking about "Cousins". These two are about as closely related as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip so please get over it. If the film had been called "Siblings" I could understand. This is a wonderfully sweet, funny and uplifting film that pokes fun at small-town life in Brazil in which religion seems to be the only thing going on. You can feel the attraction between these two boys from the first minute they're together. It's not a question of "if" but "when". And, unlike in Hollywood this film isn't afraid to show that when people have sex they're naked and they have bodies. Hollywood might make this film, but it would definitely remove the male nudity. Thankfully, Brazilians are not so uptight. Please go see this film and take any small-town, religious relatives you may have with you., |
Les Cousins | 7.2 | 3.2K | 16 | 39 | Two ends were filmed, one optimistic (the reconciliation between the two cousins, which was discarded, and the other pessimistic (which was finally chosen).,Le libraire: Read Dostoyevsky. He addresses all your concerns.,Featured in Fejezetek a film történetéböl: A francia új hullám (1990),40e Symphonie en Sol Majeur (Koechel 550) 1er movement
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as W.A. Mozart)
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra (as Orchestre Symphonique de Londres)
Conducted by Josef Krips (as Joseph Krips)
Disque DECCA,Although it's Chabrol's second effort (the first one being "le beau serge" featuring the same actors),this one is closer to Chabrol-as -we -know-him.The detective ending and the first steps in the bourgeois world of Brialy character herald Chabrol 's heyday (which begins with "les biches" ,encompasses such works as "la femme infidèle","que la bête meure" "le boucher" "la rupture" "juste avant la nuit " and ends with" les noces rouges";that's not to say all the movies were great during that period :"doctor Popaul" and "la decade prodigieuse" can be forgotten";that does not mean there were no great works after "wedding in blood" (les noces)either as testify such memorable works as "Violette NOzières","Une affaire de femmes" or "l'enfer".But in France the 1967-1973 era is generally regarded as Chabrol's peak ,with "le boucher" ,his towering achievement. So we enter the bourgeois world with Brialy's character,a bon vivant as we say in France,with parents (whom we never see)who provide him money and a comfortable flat .He is a student,but we never see him studying,girls and pleasures taking the best of him. In direct contrast with him,enters Blain,his provincial cousin.He comes from a much more modest background,his parents (whom we never see either)had certainly to struggle hard to send him to the Latin Quarter. So from the beginning ,the incommunicability is total.Blain is a grind,and if sometimes he accepts to follow his life-lover cousin in not-so-intellectual places in Paris,he knows he shall not disappoint his old parents.Brialy's kind of life is bewildering for a young lad like Blain:a scene is particularly strange,baroque,and even threatening: some fascination for Nazism from Brialy and his clique during a strange party(it's 1959,and German occupation is not that much far behind after all). Chabrol has ready begun his bourgeoisie wholesale massacre:Brialy is the prototype of the bourgeois student,selfish and smug,self-confident and apolitical (And however,1959,it's Algerian war!Young French are sent to do the dirty job).Apolitical,such is also Blain's case,but with more excuses :after all,when you're poor .. In his autobiography "le ruisseau des singes" ,Brialy told that Chabrol(and the producer) had planned an happy end with the two cousins running across the fields,reconciled.Both endings were filmed,and finally the two actors urged Chabrol to renounce this silly conclusion. Hence an almost Hitchcockian ending,Hitchcock whose influence will grow over the years in Chabrol's work., |
The Cove | 7.5 | 137K | 508 | 94 | After the negligent discharge of a firearm that resulted in the tragic death of one woman on the set of Rust in 2021, Guy Ritchie strictly enforced that there would be absolutely no actual guns on the set of this film. All firearms shown throughout the film are airsoft guns (BB guns) or rubber.,Ahmed and his family are waiting for US Visas, but at the end of the story you can see also US passports which would be only issued to US citizens thus not requiring a visa.,Sergeant John Kinley: You're here to translate.
Ahmed: Actually, I'm here to interpret.,A Horse with No Name
Written by Dewey Bunnell
Performed by America
Courtesy of Warner Records
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing,This is not a war movie. This is not an action movie. This is cathartic experience of the releasing of a bond of sacrifice, honor and humanity. Take out all the all guns and violence and you are left with two men who went through hell together and once you go on that journey you don't come out the other side until both of you are resting at home in bed with your families. There is no need to explain anything to us. Guy Ritchie manages to show us a story in such a nuanced why, the the interpreter not only interprets language, he interprets eyebrow movements, the shape of some ones smile, a little look there. In fact a good interpreter is one that can interpret what is not said and what is not done in the correct way. The actor who plays Ahmed was absolutely engrossing, he was able to draw us in and care about who story merely by the way he shows us, not even what he says and does, I really hope he gets recognition for this film, maybe even a Best Supporting Actor Nod. Jake Gylenhall was flawless as always. You felt the hook that was in him, like it was a real physical thing and he heeded to take out, otherwise he would not live in peace and be only half a man by not fulfilling his commitment, a commitment not spoken about it words but in sacrifice. I put this film in the same class of great Afghanistan war movies as 'Lone Survivor' (2013) as one of the best films ever made about the war in a Afghanistan. Long after the credit roll you are still left with their stories stuck in your head. Well done to the whole cast and crew for putting something together that I believe will become a timeless masterpiece., |
Coven | 6.4 | 5.6K | 42 | 33 | Akelarre is the Basque term for Witches' Sabbath, the meeting place that witches hold their meetings. Akerra, too, in the Basque language, means goat, as Witches' sabbaths were presided over by a goat. The word is used in Castilian Spanish that uses the spelling Aquelarre.,It's a film that hurts the soul, for we are sure it was even worse than the film, the reality, I stopped a few times, by the feeling of discomfort and discomfort caused by some scenes, the poetic and hopeful ending... The film troops inquisitors, and we see blind and disoriented faith, when even the youngest priest and friend of the girls, who finally see them as witches... And They flew..., |
The Coven | 7.5 | 137K | 508 | 94 | After the negligent discharge of a firearm that resulted in the tragic death of one woman on the set of Rust in 2021, Guy Ritchie strictly enforced that there would be absolutely no actual guns on the set of this film. All firearms shown throughout the film are airsoft guns (BB guns) or rubber.,Ahmed and his family are waiting for US Visas, but at the end of the story you can see also US passports which would be only issued to US citizens thus not requiring a visa.,Sergeant John Kinley: You're here to translate.
Ahmed: Actually, I'm here to interpret.,A Horse with No Name
Written by Dewey Bunnell
Performed by America
Courtesy of Warner Records
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing,This is not a war movie. This is not an action movie. This is cathartic experience of the releasing of a bond of sacrifice, honor and humanity. Take out all the all guns and violence and you are left with two men who went through hell together and once you go on that journey you don't come out the other side until both of you are resting at home in bed with your families. There is no need to explain anything to us. Guy Ritchie manages to show us a story in such a nuanced why, the the interpreter not only interprets language, he interprets eyebrow movements, the shape of some ones smile, a little look there. In fact a good interpreter is one that can interpret what is not said and what is not done in the correct way. The actor who plays Ahmed was absolutely engrossing, he was able to draw us in and care about who story merely by the way he shows us, not even what he says and does, I really hope he gets recognition for this film, maybe even a Best Supporting Actor Nod. Jake Gylenhall was flawless as always. You felt the hook that was in him, like it was a real physical thing and he heeded to take out, otherwise he would not live in peace and be only half a man by not fulfilling his commitment, a commitment not spoken about it words but in sacrifice. I put this film in the same class of great Afghanistan war movies as 'Lone Survivor' (2013) as one of the best films ever made about the war in a Afghanistan. Long after the credit roll you are still left with their stories stuck in your head. Well done to the whole cast and crew for putting something together that I believe will become a timeless masterpiece., |
The Covenant | 7.5 | 137K | 508 | 94 | After the negligent discharge of a firearm that resulted in the tragic death of one woman on the set of Rust in 2021, Guy Ritchie strictly enforced that there would be absolutely no actual guns on the set of this film. All firearms shown throughout the film are airsoft guns (BB guns) or rubber.,Ahmed and his family are waiting for US Visas, but at the end of the story you can see also US passports which would be only issued to US citizens thus not requiring a visa.,Sergeant John Kinley: You're here to translate.
Ahmed: Actually, I'm here to interpret.,A Horse with No Name
Written by Dewey Bunnell
Performed by America
Courtesy of Warner Records
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing,This is not a war movie. This is not an action movie. This is cathartic experience of the releasing of a bond of sacrifice, honor and humanity. Take out all the all guns and violence and you are left with two men who went through hell together and once you go on that journey you don't come out the other side until both of you are resting at home in bed with your families. There is no need to explain anything to us. Guy Ritchie manages to show us a story in such a nuanced why, the the interpreter not only interprets language, he interprets eyebrow movements, the shape of some ones smile, a little look there. In fact a good interpreter is one that can interpret what is not said and what is not done in the correct way. The actor who plays Ahmed was absolutely engrossing, he was able to draw us in and care about who story merely by the way he shows us, not even what he says and does, I really hope he gets recognition for this film, maybe even a Best Supporting Actor Nod. Jake Gylenhall was flawless as always. You felt the hook that was in him, like it was a real physical thing and he heeded to take out, otherwise he would not live in peace and be only half a man by not fulfilling his commitment, a commitment not spoken about it words but in sacrifice. I put this film in the same class of great Afghanistan war movies as 'Lone Survivor' (2013) as one of the best films ever made about the war in a Afghanistan. Long after the credit roll you are still left with their stories stuck in your head. Well done to the whole cast and crew for putting something together that I believe will become a timeless masterpiece., |
Cover Girl | 6.7 | 5.8K | 87 | 43 | During the middle of shooting Rita Hayworth eloped with Orson Welles. Coincidentally the film's wedding scene was shot that day.,The guests at the 1904 wedding are the same people, wearing the same clothes and hairstyles, as the guests at the 1944 wedding. Of particular note are the young girl wearing a giant red flower as a hat, and the white-haired old lady with white boa feathers on the side of her head.,Genius: You know something? I love him too.
Danny McGuire: Yeah?
Genius: You know why?
Danny McGuire: Why?
Genius: Because he's dumber than me.
Danny McGuire: Dumber than I.,There is an Italian DVD edition of this movie, distributed by DNA Srl, entitled "Cover Girl". The movie was re-edited with the contribution of the film history scholar Riccardo Cusin. This dvd contains the movie with its original aspect ratio and a new version adapted in 1.78:1 anamorphic for 16:9 screens. This version is also available in streaming on some platforms. This DVD also contains another movie with Gene Kelly: " Du Barry Was a Lady" (1943).,Edited into American Masters: Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002),The Show Must Go On
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Performed by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Martha Mears), Leslie Brooks and Chorus,Two of these things are to be expected, the third is a complete surprise (that would be Phil Silvers dancing).
This is a delightful, if longer than it needs to be musical. A sub-plot with flashbacks and probably the worst Jerome Kern number ever written (Poor John), do not contribute enough to make them worthwhile. It's as if they wrote the movie, realized they didn't have enough material to produce a full-length picture, and added these other scenes to "fill it out". They don't work.
It's funny to see a 1940's musical with Gene Kelly (on loan from M-G-M)clearly taking a backseat to his leading lady. His second act number where he dances with himself is one highlight of the film. Other strong points are "Make Way For Tomorrow" and the lovely, "Long Ago And Far Away" (although I thought it odd that the latter number did not have a dance sequence attached to it). "Put Me To The Test", a number where Rita and Gene get to dance together, is a very good number, but the title song does nothing for me, although it is staged wonderfully.
Rita Hayworth is absolutely breath-taking. Her dancing is excellent, and this is clearly a role that suits her. Some of her hair pieces, however are awful. In a few scenes, the color of them do not match the color of her natural hair. Very distracting.
Phil Silvers is wonderful as Genius, Gene and Rita's friend and co-worker. Seeing him dance, especially as well as he did, was a wonderful surprise.
The major problem I had with this movie was that I never believed the relationship between the three leads. I didn't believe that Kelly and Hayworth were in love, or that Kelly and Silvers were real friends. Can't quite put my finger on it, but I didn't buy it.
Excellent supporting work by Eve Arden, Otto Kruger, Edward Brophy and Leslie Brooks.
6 out of 10, |
The Covered Wagon | 6.6 | 733 | 8 | 16 | Although there are scenes that show huge buffalo herds with what looks like thousands of animals, large buffalo herds didn't exist at the time this film was made (1923). The buffalo had been hunted almost to extinction during the late 19th century, with millions of them being slaughtered, and its numbers hadn't yet increased enough to comprise large herds. Cameraman Karl Brown used small lead castings of various sizes of buffalo, placed the larger ones toward the camera and used diminishing sizes in the background for depth. All the castings were mounted on a series of moving chains, those in the rear moving very slowly while the rows of chains moved increasingly faster as they neared the foreground. The castings were hinged so that they moved with an undulating motion, which made them appear to be actual buffalo running. The chains were placed out of view and the mechanical buffalo were placed in front of a painted background containing distant buffalo. The result was a scene of "thousands" of buffalo, when in reality most of them were basically statues.,Jim Bridger is presented in this film as being a bigamist with two Indian wives. Bridger actually married three times, all to Indian women, but the first died before he married the second and the second died before he married the third.,Featured in The House That Shadows Built (1931),Unfortunately time has not been particularly kind to this slow moving curiosity piece about a wagon train of pioneers headed to Oregon. The story is ordinary, the characters, not surprisingly, strictly archetypes, from the noble but modest hero (the incredibly dull J. Warren Kerrigan), to the wide eyed heroine (pretty but bland Lois Wilson), who never can seem to make up her mind who she prefers, Noble Hero (who has a rumored tarnished past) or conniving bad guy fiancée (Alan Hale, yes, I said Alan Hale, without a sign of a smile on his face). The audience is way ahead of the double minded lady as to whom she will finally choose.
James Cruze directed the production and failed to enliven or distinguish any of the much needed action sequences, whether it be a big scene, an Indian attack on the wagon train, or a smaller one (a fist fight between Kerrigan and Hale).
The film is noteworthy, however, for its photography, and in showing the far flung vistas on the horizon, does convey a sense of bigness. Also enlivening the film to a degree are the performances of Tully Marshall as a fur trapper and, in particular, Ernest Torrence as a grizzled wagon scout, stereotypes as they may be. Torrence and Marshall are entertaining enough that eight years later they would be reunited for essentially the same roles in a 1931 wagon train tale of negligible entertainment value, Fighting Caravans.
The Covered Wagon might have been considered to be a big deal for the film world in 1923 but today this trip put west is, I'm sorry to say, is just not a standout. Maybe I just expected more because Paramount silent are so hard to find and, many times, they really are standouts., |
Cow | 7.1 | 2.2K | 35 | 73 | Lovely
Written by Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell and Khalid
Performed by Billie Eilish and Khalid,One of the most illuminating documentaries in film history is called Titicut Follies (1967), one of the first and only times a director got under the skin of an institution, which Andrea Arnold manages again with Cow. Follies uncovers the horrendous maltreatment of people at an asylum in Massachusetts. It's remarkable because of the co-operation given to the filmmaker Frederick Wiseman. The medical staff at Titicut simply do not have the self awareness or empathy to know that they do wrong and give him the run of the place. In the most jawdropping moment a doctor smoking a cigarette over an anaesthetised patient, lets his fag ash fall into the man's open mouth, and no-one bats an eyelid. Exposés since that time have been rather subdued as most wrongdoers are informed enough to be a completely different person when they know a camera is nearby.
The farmers here simply feel that everything they do is justified (or maybe they crave judgement?), and so they have given Andrea Arnold and her crew the run of the place. Like Wiseman before her Arnold simply points her camera at stuff going on, there are no interviews, no explanatory notes, the camera eye does all the talking. They spend four years focussing mainly on one cow, Luma, her day-to-day experience, and those of her calf. When the calf is announced female I didn't know whether to be relieved or appalled, males are often shot straight away as rearing them to sell on as veal is not economical, whilst the female become part of the dairy herd; which is better, murder or slavery?
Cow is the nightmare of Fritz Lang's Metropolis come true, where persons literally become part of machines. On the farm placid and majestic creatures are cruelly exploited, and then when the economics of keeping them enslaved stops making sense, abruptly murdered. There are indeed Wisemanian moments here, where a farmhand comments that Luma is bad for being protective. "Bad" here meaning that she doesn't do exactly what her enslavers want when they want it ("Fair is foul and foul is fair"); the second farmhand knows a faux pas has been made on camera. The farmers are of that chilling breed of individuals who know what they do is wrong but do it anyway, because there are no repercussions. We can at least say of them that they are not sadists, no-one deliberately harms an animal here for entertainment (although things like this have been videoed on other farms).
Numerous unpleasant scenes include debudding without anaesthetic (to make the slaves more manageable the tissue that grows horns is burned away), Luma refusing to eat after her latest child is abducted and industrial milking apparatus dangling in slurry.
Arnold's treatment feels occasionally tone deaf, Luma is corralled into a pen with a bull to get made pregnant yet again (cows are essentially kept permanently pregnant and have no agency whatsoever), and Arnold feels it's appropriate to edit this in with a firework display, as if something remotely romantic is happening when breeding of slaves occurs. In interviews Arnold has talked about the service that the cows have given us, the problem is that cows have their free will removed, they are not giving us service, everything they give is being taken. I gave the film a 6 because for all its revelations I do still feel that Arnold doesn't fully get it.
It is sobering to remind oneself that of all the lurid horrors of Cow, this is likely the best a farm gets, and the best simply isn't good enough. We can stop the suffering, end deforestation and end climate change if we stop enslaving animals, but we enjoy the taste of these easily substituted products too much. The childishly absurd "bacon tho" and "cheese tho" arguments win out. Humanity had better hope that no wrathful judge exists., |
The Cow | 7.4 | 16K | 112 | 50 | Roscoe Lee Browne was urged by his friends not to work with the right-wing John Wayne. He ignored them and the two actors refrained from discussing politics during filming.,When Andersen sends one of the boys back to find Mr. Nightlinger, he is riding a pale Appaloosa. He rides ahead to talk to another boy, but is now riding a red sorrel.,Jebediah Nightlinger: [praying to God before he's about to hanged by Long Hair and his gang] I regret trifling with married women. I'm thoroughly ashamed at cheating at cards. I deplore my occasional departures from the truth. Forgive me for taking your name in vain, my Saturday drunkenness, my Sunday sloth. Above all, forgive me for the men I've killed in anger
[eyes shifting to Long Hair],When the film was originally released in the UK it carried a 'AA' rating, preventing an under-14 year old audience from seeing the movie. When the distributors asked the UK censor if this could be changed he suggested removing the scene with the wagon full of prostitutes, thus deleting Colleen Dewhurst's entire role in the film, and in doing so the film was re-certified with an 'A' rating (suitable for all). Additionally cuts were made to tone down some of the more violent scenes including the fight between Wil and Long Hair, the shooting of Wil, and a man being dragged by his horse. Later cinema showings and all video versions restored the Colleen Dewhurst scene but retained the violence cuts (totalling 1 min 30 secs). For the upgraded 12-rated 2005 DVD the film was passed fully uncut.,Featured in The Breaking of Boys and the Making of Men in 'the Cowboys' (1972),The Star Spangled Banner
(uncredited)
Music by John Stafford Smith
Lyrics by Francis Scott Key
Sung by school children,The Cowboys is directed by Mark Rydell and adapted from the novel written by William Dale Jennings; who co-writes the screenplay with Irving Ravetch & Harriet Frank Jr. It stars John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern and Colleen Dewhurst. John Williams scores the music and Robert Surtees is the cinematographer. Plot sees Wayne as tough cattleman Wil Andersen, who after finding all his cowhands have fled to find their fortune elsewhere, is forced to use a bunch of green teenagers to get his beef to market. It's a journey of some distinction, for Wil, the boys and the villains who lurk on the edges of the frame.
If ever there was a John Wayne picture that was in need of serious critical reevaluation, both as a measure of his acting ability-and quality in film narrative, then The Cowboys is the one. It's a film that has been known to upset the liberal minded, where the ideology at its core has been lambasted as being objectionable in the least. Yet looking at it closely, away from the humour that does exist within, it finds the Duke at his most vulnerable, therefore believable, and at its centre it's a coming of age tale told with cynical coldness. During this cattle drive innocence will be lost, Andersen is tough and a disciplinarian, yet he's always a benevolent father figure. Wil himself hit the cattle drive trail at 13, he knows the pains and perils of such a task. He also knows that boys need to become men, especially out here in the wilderness. I'd be disappointed in a piece of Western genre cinema if it glossed over this fact. And The Cowboys doesn't, it has a sting in its tail, the trick is that the boys are not judged by how Wil taught them, but defined by a turn of events that calls on them to "man" up. The actions of another being the catalyst for childhood's ending.
Robert Surtees' photography paints a beautiful picture, it's pastoral, broad and appealing, but crucially it doesn't make it poetic. These young lads are entering the unknown, each section of God's great land is beautiful to us, but dangerous to them. It's an overlooked point that critics of the film ignore, that of Wil Andersen not leading these boys on a romantic trip thru the colourful terrain. It's not romantic, it's dangerous, and it's credit to Surtees that he achieves both sides of the coin; beauty and peril in the same frame. The young actors are, expectedly, a mixed bunch, but there's nothing here to be overtly negative about. Roscoe Lee Browne is terrific, his shift from wry observationalist to "Mother Hen" is handled with great skill, and Bruce Dern is memorable in more ways than one. The complaints come from not enough screen time for Colleen Dewhurst, who playing a bordello madame positively threatens to send the film's rating thru the roof (and the male viewers temperature's), while the running time is simply too long-too episodic-and quite frankly, unnecessary.
The Cowboys is not a perceived John Wayne macho based fantasy movie, it has meaning, depth, bravery and a first class performance from the Duke himself. 8/10, |
Cow Belles | 5.1 | 6.9K | 22 | 6 | Aly Michalka got her permit just to do the driving scenes.,In the first shot of Taylor driving her mother's car, a boom-mike is reflected on the car.,Courtney Callum: Twirl me, Phillipe. Twirl me now!,Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Disney Channel Original Movies of the 2000s (2020),It's All Good Now
Written by Jeannie Lurie
Performed by Blaire Reinhard,The first hour of this movie was SO Disney channel and I thought it would end all happy happy with the dad getting the money back and they'd go on being rich, spoiled, with a little different perspective on the world. I was ready to brand this a typical Disney movie until the end. I was so thrilled when it turned out that they weren't rich anymore and Taylor took it so well. I think that Disney is finally, sort of getting the idea that movies don't always have to end perfectly!!! I thought the acting was fairly good. Amanda Michalka was impressive in her debut. A bit too sappy with the getting-the-perfect-guy thing for me but it didn't hinder the performance too much., |
Cow on the Moon | null | null | null | null | null |
Cow Town | 6.2 | 111 | 5 | 1 | When stable owner Reeves pins down henchmen Mike and Ed during the posse chase, he tells them to throw down their guns and step out in the open. They do so with their hands in the air, and Reeves shoots them both. However when Gene Autry and the sheriff arrive, both of the men are shown with a gun in their outstretched hands after Reeves says that they were going to fire on him.,Powder Your Face With Sunshine
(uncredited)
Written by Carmen Lombardo and Stanley Rochinski
Sung by Gene Autry,Cow Town begins with a prologue all about the joys of barbed wire. Whatever. Following this, there is a scene with a lot of townspeople and I noticed that nearly everyone looked old! I can only assume that the producers deliberately used a lot of older actors in order to make the aging Gene Autry look younger, as his best days in Hollywood were a decade ago. Is this one worth seeing or is it yet another tired late career Autry westerns?
The story begins with Gene taking a couple rustlers to the sheriff. On the way, a VERY angry and incredibly stereotypical woman draws a gun on Gene and tries to stop him. I say incredibly stereotypical because in so many of his and Roy Rogers' films women are inexplicably angry and just plain nasty...only to be tamed by the hero...a cliche I could REALLY do without! Soon she's organized a jail break for the two accused rustlers! And, they shoot their way to freedom! Is this woman the ultimate villain or just a real dumb idiot? Tune in to find out for yourself.
This film is a great example of a film where characters behave inconsistently...and foolishly. To me, this is just bad writing...even for a B-western. When you see Duke and his sister, you never have any idea WHAT they are going to say and do...and I assume that the actors felt the same way! It's a huge problem with the story and makes this one of Autry's weakest outings.
While the plot really let me down, one thing I do need to say in praise of the film is the gorgeous use of the scenery in Lone Pine, California. While hundreds of westerns were filmed here, I cannot recall a black & white movie that made the mountains there look so good. Cheers to the cinematographer, William Bradford., |
The Coward | 7.5 | 190K | 525 | 278 | Cinematographer Roger Deakins has called the arrival of the train in darkness as one of the high points of his career.,Jesse James uses the term "gunslinger" but this term didn't come into use until at least the 1920's. Terms for outlaw gunmen appropriate for the time would have been gunman, pistoleer, shootist, or even gunfighter.,[last lines]
Narrator: He was ashamed of his persiflage, his boasting, his pretensions of courage and ruthlessness; he was sorry about his cold-bloodedness, his dispassion, his inability to express what he now believed was the case- that he truly regretted killing Jesse, that he missed the man as much as anybody and wished his murder hadn't been necessary. Even as he circulated his saloon he knew that the smiles disappeared when he passed by. He received so many menacing letters that he could read them without any reaction except curiosity. He kept to his apartment all day, flipping over playing cards, looking at his destiny in every King and Jack. Edward O'Kelly came up from Bachelor at one P.M. on the 8th. He had no grand scheme. No strategy. No agreement with higher authorities. Nothing but a vague longing for glory, and a generalized wish for revenge against Robert Ford. Edward O'Kelly would be ordered to serve a life sentence in the Colorado Penitentiary for second degree murder. Over seven thousand signatures would eventually be gathered in a petition asking for O'Kelly's release, and in 1902, Governor James B. Ullman would pardon the man. There would be no eulogies for Bob, no photographs of his body would be sold in sundries stores, no people would crowd the streets in the rain to see his funeral cortege, no biographies would be written about him, no children named after him, no one would ever pay twenty-five cents to stand in the rooms he grew up in. The shotgun would ignite, and Ella Mae would scream, but Robert Ford would only lay on the floor and look at the ceiling, the light going out of his eyes before he could find the right words.,The film does not contain either an opening title nor intro credits. The film title is displayed first after the final fadeout.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Brave One/The Hottest State/Mr. Woodcock/In the Valley of Elah/Across the Universe (2007),The Ballad of Jesse James
Traditional
Arranged by Nick Cave
Performed by Nick Cave,If you have watched the trailer and know this movie is two hours and forty minutes long you know what you are getting into and should not be disappointed. This movie delivers on every level of film making, be it cinematography, acting, or writing. Casey Affleck delivers a fantastic performance in how he portrays Robert Ford as the bright eyed fawning kid in a way so sincere it makes the audience uncomfortable even when it shouldn't. Brad Pitt underplays his part as Jesse James hitting all the right notes while never saying much. Exactly the way one would expect an outlaw to act when they have everything in the world to hide. I can't say the movie didn't FEEL two hours and forty minutes long but I never wanted it to end sooner than it did. I guess I just enjoyed the time I got to spend watching these characters for the full running time.
I loved this movie. Unfortunately, a long western without action is something seemingly impossible to sell to the public these days. It would be to the advantage of the studio to sell this like The English Patient was sold 10 years ago. Just make people feel like ignorant idiots if they don't like it! As much as it pains me to say it, I think most people don't care enough to bother seeing what makes this movie so great. The only other option to make this a success is to fool them into THINKING they love the movie. I'm really curious how many folks out there that like the movie agree with me here., |
Coward Hero | 5 | 110 | null | null | null |
Cowards | 5.7 | 592 | 4 | 3 | Ariadna Gaya's debut.,Cobardes
Written by La Dago Style (as Francisco Javier Ibáñez), Gitano Antón (as Antonio Moreno) and El Langui (as Juan Manuel Montilla)
Performed by La Excepción
Courtesy of Chaborruno,Yes s ok is ok ok ok it's fine I like I gess is ok fine not bad., |
Cowards Bend the Knee | 6.9 | 1.5K | 10 | 38 | Originally presented as a gallery installation at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2003, and then two months later at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto, in which viewers watch the movie through ten peepholes lining a wall, each one revealing a different six-minute chapter of the film.,Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004),In a version of his life, Maddin tells us the tragic story of how the young Guy was once a great ice hockey player with the Maroons, until his girlfriend got into 'trouble'. A visit to a hairdressers-come-bordello-come-abortion clinic leads Guy to fall for Meta, the daughter of the bordello owner Liliom. However Meta wants revenge on her mother and her lover (Shaky Guy's friend) for the murder of her father (who's blue hands she still has in a jar). A sinister 'transplant' by Dr Fusi, sets Guy on the road to destruction all for the 'joy, joy, joy of finding love'.
I saw this film at a film night recently dedicated to showing several of Maddin's short films and this semi-feature. Despite the event being a little amateurish in its organisation, with a late start and 20 minutes spent watching a band tidy up in front of the screen, I enjoyed the evening and was glad for the chance to see several of the films for the first time. This film was the one I had actually come to see, but I didn't know anything about it and I wondering if Maddin would do his usual selective-substance thing over the whole 60 minutes. This I consider to be a problem with his shorts sometimes, unless you are really aware of his influences then you'll struggle to get the substance of the short (kind of like watching Shrek without any knowledge of popular culture you just wouldn't know what it was trying to do). However, the visuals are always impressive and even someone with only a passing knowledge of the silent movie period should be able to enjoy the sheer imagination and flair that Maddin directs with.
With 'Cowards' I didn't have to worry long; after a first scene that seems to set the whole story within a drop of sperm the film manages to retain Maddin's usual flair of the weird as well as setting up a story that is an enjoyable narrative flow in other words, you're not riding on influences and style for the whole hour. Far from the case; in fact this film is funny, weird, engaging and just plain great! This is not to say that the story takes place in the real world it doesn't, it is still very weird and strangely comic/weird but it still hangs together. The stretch to an hour shows a little bit towards the end but I still really enjoyed it.
The cast do a great job acting considering they are never heard (it's silent of course!) and they emulate the silent era acting really well. Fehr's Guy is great and he delivers the comic lines (well 'cards') as effectively as he does the darker stuff. Dionisio is great and conveys so much with her face and, it must be said, a fantastically gorgeous face it is too! Stewart has less of a presence in a smaller role but Birtwhistle is funny as the oversexed mother and support is good from Negin (sinister), Evans (all-American) as well as a few of Maddin's own family members.
Overall this is a great film but one that will put many viewers off by the nature of its content. It is dark, it features full male nudity and it is totally silent with dialogue cards that have French subtitles. To understand what I'm saying you really need to see (experience) it for yourself but take it from me: I am the first to highlight the weaknesses in substance with Maddin's shorts but here he has a good narrative that sacrifices none of his visual style and feel of the weird, wonderful, dark and comic. A brilliant film that is worth hunting down., |
Cowboy | 8.9 | 133K | 352 | 47 | The city of Faye's memories is recognizably Singapore.,Spike's hair changes from green to black repeatedly throughout the show.,Spike Spiegel: Hunger is the best spice they say.,Most of the episodes end with an intertitle that reads "SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY..." However, certain episodes end with different text: Session #03: EASY COME, EASY GO... Session #11: THE END Session #12: TO BE CONTINUED Session #13: DO YOU HAVE A COMRADE? Session #15: SLEEPING BEAST... Session #17: LIFE IS BUT A DREAM... Session #22: SEE YOU SPACE SAMURAI... Session #24: SEE YOU COWGIRL,SOMEDAY, SOMEWHERE! Session #25: TO BE CONTINUED Session #26: YOU'RE GONNA CARRY THAT WEIGHT.,In "Session 22 Cowboy Funk" Spike, Jet and Faye go to a costume party to catch a bounty head. Jet is dress up as an hippy with a marijuana leaf on his shirt.In the TV version Cartoon Network edited out the leaf and replaced it with a peace sign.,Featured in Cowboy Bebop: Session XX - Mish-Mash Blues (1998),Cowboy Bebop is a truly post-modern show. Not in the tired "Scream" sense of self-awareness, but in its willingness to mix genres and blur boundaries. At the most basic level it's a Space Western. But Bebop is not content to be merely that, so there are added dashes of film noir, gothic horror, creature-feature, black comedy, screwball comedy, spy action, crime, romance, tragedy, action, philosophy, science, spirituality, fatalism, optimism, buddy-buddy stories, slapstick humour, parody-- just about every type of tale under the sun appears in some shape or form during Bebop's run. It's a show where each episode really is different from the last. Were it not for the recurring characters, it would be hard to believe that the brightly-coloured blaxploitation parody "Mushroom Samba" could possibly come from the same series as the bleakly violent "Real Folk Blues".
The world that the series inhabits is distinctly post-modern, too; space ships fly through hyperspace gates, but once on the ground their pilots fight with twentieth-century handguns. Scenic bays would look for all the world like they were taken from modern-day Japan were they not dwarfed by Jupiter, the enormous gas giant looming in the sky like some enormous benevolent god.
And the music - tribal drums and chants give way to electronic pulses that give way to jazz sax and trumpets that give way to rock guitars that give way to blues harmonicas... composer Yoko Kanno faultlessly turns her hand to an eclectc selection of genres and instruments, ably backed up by her band, "Seatbelts".
All of which sounds terribly impressive, but why on Earth should you watch it? Because, buddy, it's one of the finest television shows ever made.
I have to admit I'm not a big anime fan. Most anime that makes it over here seems to be either about schoolgirls with supernatural powers who battle evil, or adolescent boys who - for some convoluted reason - wind up having to pilot big giant robots. And whilst I'm assured that shows such as Escaflowne (schoolgirls and magic) and Evangelion (boys and robots) are actually rather good, they completely fail to get my blood pumping.
Enter Bebop. Ultra cool Spike, grumpy strategist Jet, trigger-happy Faye, nutball Ed and intelligent dog Ein are as far away from the usual brats and bots anime as you can possibly get. Their motivation, too, is far from the usual anime fare. These guys aren't bounty hunters because they want to fight crime and keep the peace - all they want is a wad of cash, and bounty hunting seems like the best place to make big money fast. Although they will do the right thing when pressed, they rarely forget their true motivation - and if they do, their perpetual lack of food will soon remind them. Life isn't easy, and when you're a bounty hunter it's even harder.
Not that the crew of the spaceship Bebop are one-note characters. As the series progresses, our initial assumptions about the characters are overturned. At first Spike appears to be the cliched laid-back slacker (who just happens to be a mean jeet-kun-do fighter), but we then learn of his fall from the criminal underworld and of a loss that killed him emotionally. Jet's the obvious gruff authority figure, until we realise that he actually cares for the crew of the Bebop as if they were his kids (and seems to have dabbled in pot and psychadelic drugs when he was a teenager). Faye's the usual feisty stand-offish female lead but only because her amazingly tragic past makes her push away friends for fear that she'll become attached to them. Ed's just some nutty kid until we meet her crazy father and realise that it could well be her deprived childhood that sent her over the edge. And Ein? Well sometimes it's hard being a super intelligent Welsh Corgi on a ship where nobody appreciates you, you know?
But not every episode is deathly serious - the character development is mixed in perfectly with humour (both light and dark), fistfights, shoot-outs, car chases, aerial fights, space battles and some of the lushest animation you'll see in an animated TV series. And all of this spread over only 26 episodes.
Yes, many people espouse the old "leave 'em wanting more" line, but so few of them actually do it; Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the perfect example of a series that spends three or four years being top-notch TV then freefalls due to apparent apathy from both the cast and writers. Bebop avoids this by wrapping every dangling plot thread up in just one season of television. And after the final jaw-dropping episode it's quite clear that the series is most definitely over.
Never before or since have I seen a series of such astonishing variety, intelligence and style. Ten out of ten., |
Cowboy Blues | 7.4 | 32 | 1 | null | null |
The Cowboy Way | 5.9 | 8.9K | 37 | 28 | Travis Tritt who performed the song The Cowboy Way on the soundtrack appears in the rodeo scene toward the beginning of the film.,In the opening rodeo sequence, Pepper's horse is brown in the chute, but black on the close-ups out in the arena.,Waiter: How would you like your steaks cooked?
Pepper: Oh, just knock its horns off, wipe its nasty ass, and chunk it right here on this plate.,Featured in Bon Jovi: Good Guys Don't Always Wear White (1994),Good Guys Don't Always Wear White
Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora
Performed by Bon Jovi
Produced by Andy Johns
Courtesy of Mercury Records,This movie is great for a fun night in if you want some light-hearted entertainment. The actors do they job well, they are believable as Sonny and Pepper. They make a good acting team and the storyline is entertaining, but not great and you don't have to solve any difficult plots, which i like to do. Despite this, it is worth watching,it has lots of fun moments, but really it is only for cowboy and western fans., |
The Cowboys | 7.4 | 16K | 112 | 50 | Roscoe Lee Browne was urged by his friends not to work with the right-wing John Wayne. He ignored them and the two actors refrained from discussing politics during filming.,When Andersen sends one of the boys back to find Mr. Nightlinger, he is riding a pale Appaloosa. He rides ahead to talk to another boy, but is now riding a red sorrel.,Jebediah Nightlinger: [praying to God before he's about to hanged by Long Hair and his gang] I regret trifling with married women. I'm thoroughly ashamed at cheating at cards. I deplore my occasional departures from the truth. Forgive me for taking your name in vain, my Saturday drunkenness, my Sunday sloth. Above all, forgive me for the men I've killed in anger
[eyes shifting to Long Hair],When the film was originally released in the UK it carried a 'AA' rating, preventing an under-14 year old audience from seeing the movie. When the distributors asked the UK censor if this could be changed he suggested removing the scene with the wagon full of prostitutes, thus deleting Colleen Dewhurst's entire role in the film, and in doing so the film was re-certified with an 'A' rating (suitable for all). Additionally cuts were made to tone down some of the more violent scenes including the fight between Wil and Long Hair, the shooting of Wil, and a man being dragged by his horse. Later cinema showings and all video versions restored the Colleen Dewhurst scene but retained the violence cuts (totalling 1 min 30 secs). For the upgraded 12-rated 2005 DVD the film was passed fully uncut.,Featured in The Breaking of Boys and the Making of Men in 'the Cowboys' (1972),The Star Spangled Banner
(uncredited)
Music by John Stafford Smith
Lyrics by Francis Scott Key
Sung by school children,The Cowboys is directed by Mark Rydell and adapted from the novel written by William Dale Jennings; who co-writes the screenplay with Irving Ravetch & Harriet Frank Jr. It stars John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern and Colleen Dewhurst. John Williams scores the music and Robert Surtees is the cinematographer. Plot sees Wayne as tough cattleman Wil Andersen, who after finding all his cowhands have fled to find their fortune elsewhere, is forced to use a bunch of green teenagers to get his beef to market. It's a journey of some distinction, for Wil, the boys and the villains who lurk on the edges of the frame.
If ever there was a John Wayne picture that was in need of serious critical reevaluation, both as a measure of his acting ability-and quality in film narrative, then The Cowboys is the one. It's a film that has been known to upset the liberal minded, where the ideology at its core has been lambasted as being objectionable in the least. Yet looking at it closely, away from the humour that does exist within, it finds the Duke at his most vulnerable, therefore believable, and at its centre it's a coming of age tale told with cynical coldness. During this cattle drive innocence will be lost, Andersen is tough and a disciplinarian, yet he's always a benevolent father figure. Wil himself hit the cattle drive trail at 13, he knows the pains and perils of such a task. He also knows that boys need to become men, especially out here in the wilderness. I'd be disappointed in a piece of Western genre cinema if it glossed over this fact. And The Cowboys doesn't, it has a sting in its tail, the trick is that the boys are not judged by how Wil taught them, but defined by a turn of events that calls on them to "man" up. The actions of another being the catalyst for childhood's ending.
Robert Surtees' photography paints a beautiful picture, it's pastoral, broad and appealing, but crucially it doesn't make it poetic. These young lads are entering the unknown, each section of God's great land is beautiful to us, but dangerous to them. It's an overlooked point that critics of the film ignore, that of Wil Andersen not leading these boys on a romantic trip thru the colourful terrain. It's not romantic, it's dangerous, and it's credit to Surtees that he achieves both sides of the coin; beauty and peril in the same frame. The young actors are, expectedly, a mixed bunch, but there's nothing here to be overtly negative about. Roscoe Lee Browne is terrific, his shift from wry observationalist to "Mother Hen" is handled with great skill, and Bruce Dern is memorable in more ways than one. The complaints come from not enough screen time for Colleen Dewhurst, who playing a bordello madame positively threatens to send the film's rating thru the roof (and the male viewers temperature's), while the running time is simply too long-too episodic-and quite frankly, unnecessary.
The Cowboys is not a perceived John Wayne macho based fantasy movie, it has meaning, depth, bravery and a first class performance from the Duke himself. 8/10, |
Coyote | 5.7 | 119K | 418 | 110 | LeAnn Rimes did all of the singing for Piper Perabo. When the two are singing on the bar, Rimes is essentially performing a duet with herself.,Piedmont is in South Dakota not North Dakota.,Lil: I'm married to that bar. Hell, I'd, uh, I'd sleep there, if I had the guts to walk around barefoot. But that's me, you know. I'm the original coyote. Just a small town gal trying to make it in the big bad city.
Violet: Small town gal?
Lil: Piedmont, North Dakota. You ever tell anyone that, I'll kill ya.,Unrated extended cut restores scenes (ca. 6 minutes) that were deemed "unsuitable" for the American market and threatened the desired PG-13 rating. Added back was additional/extended footage in virtually every dance scene, a shopping scene with Cammie and Violet and a sex scene with Violet and Kevin.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps/Wonderland/Thomas and the Magic Railroad/Space Cowboys/The Girl on the Bridge (2000),Fly (Without Supercat)
Written by Charles Stan Frazier (as Charles Frazier), Matthew Murphy Karges (as Matthew Karges),
Mark McGrath, Rodney Sheppard and McG (as Joseph "McG" Nichol)
Performed by Sugar Ray
Produced by David Kahne (uncredited)
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.,Violet Sanford (Piper Perabo) is an aspiring songwriter from small town New Jersey. She leaves her pizza joint waitress job, her father, and her best friend to pursue her dreams in NYC. Only the big bad city is getting the best of her. Down to her last few dollars, she tries out for a surprising job at a bar called Coyote Ugly.
First, I don't know why she has to move to NYC to pursue her dreams as a songwriter. I would think New Jersey is close enough to get rejected by the music industry, and she could do a week or two. But as a songwriter, why does she have to stay there? I think it would be better if she's an actress.
Then the rejections are so silly and ham fisted. It had me rolling my eyes, and hating the first act. By the time she gets to the bar, I couldn't really stand the movie. Maria Bello plays the bar owner. Izabella Miko, Tyra Banks, and Bridget Moynahan play the dancers. Other than watching some hot actresses dancing suggestively, there isn't much in this movie., |
The Coyote | 5.7 | 119K | 418 | 110 | LeAnn Rimes did all of the singing for Piper Perabo. When the two are singing on the bar, Rimes is essentially performing a duet with herself.,Piedmont is in South Dakota not North Dakota.,Lil: I'm married to that bar. Hell, I'd, uh, I'd sleep there, if I had the guts to walk around barefoot. But that's me, you know. I'm the original coyote. Just a small town gal trying to make it in the big bad city.
Violet: Small town gal?
Lil: Piedmont, North Dakota. You ever tell anyone that, I'll kill ya.,Unrated extended cut restores scenes (ca. 6 minutes) that were deemed "unsuitable" for the American market and threatened the desired PG-13 rating. Added back was additional/extended footage in virtually every dance scene, a shopping scene with Cammie and Violet and a sex scene with Violet and Kevin.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps/Wonderland/Thomas and the Magic Railroad/Space Cowboys/The Girl on the Bridge (2000),Fly (Without Supercat)
Written by Charles Stan Frazier (as Charles Frazier), Matthew Murphy Karges (as Matthew Karges),
Mark McGrath, Rodney Sheppard and McG (as Joseph "McG" Nichol)
Performed by Sugar Ray
Produced by David Kahne (uncredited)
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.,Violet Sanford (Piper Perabo) is an aspiring songwriter from small town New Jersey. She leaves her pizza joint waitress job, her father, and her best friend to pursue her dreams in NYC. Only the big bad city is getting the best of her. Down to her last few dollars, she tries out for a surprising job at a bar called Coyote Ugly.
First, I don't know why she has to move to NYC to pursue her dreams as a songwriter. I would think New Jersey is close enough to get rejected by the music industry, and she could do a week or two. But as a songwriter, why does she have to stay there? I think it would be better if she's an actress.
Then the rejections are so silly and ham fisted. It had me rolling my eyes, and hating the first act. By the time she gets to the bar, I couldn't really stand the movie. Maria Bello plays the bar owner. Izabella Miko, Tyra Banks, and Bridget Moynahan play the dancers. Other than watching some hot actresses dancing suggestively, there isn't much in this movie., |
Coyote and Bronca | 6.6 | 59 | null | null | null |
Coyote Lake | 5.4 | 1.3K | 46 | 9 | Reviewers seem to either love or hate this film. I gravitate toward the former camp. Seligman did a good job in my opinion of maintaining a suspenseful atmosphere. I thought the three leads played well together, particularly the mother and daughter. Camila Mendes should have a bright future ahead of her. The palm definitely goes to Adriana Barraza for playing one of the most hardboiled customers in film, right up there with performances by legends like Richard Boone and Lee Van Cleef. The fact that this was done by a middle aged woman makes it even more noteworthy. On a final note, this film reminded me very much of a Japanese film from 1964, Onibaba, again about a mother and daughter who murder people, only this time fleeing soldiers for their armor and money. That's worth a watch too. My general impression is that the people who dislike the film like their cinematic gratification fast and furious. For those prepared to give Coyote Lake a chance, you may well find it rewarding., |
Coyote Ugly | 5.7 | 119K | 418 | 110 | LeAnn Rimes did all of the singing for Piper Perabo. When the two are singing on the bar, Rimes is essentially performing a duet with herself.,Piedmont is in South Dakota not North Dakota.,Lil: I'm married to that bar. Hell, I'd, uh, I'd sleep there, if I had the guts to walk around barefoot. But that's me, you know. I'm the original coyote. Just a small town gal trying to make it in the big bad city.
Violet: Small town gal?
Lil: Piedmont, North Dakota. You ever tell anyone that, I'll kill ya.,Unrated extended cut restores scenes (ca. 6 minutes) that were deemed "unsuitable" for the American market and threatened the desired PG-13 rating. Added back was additional/extended footage in virtually every dance scene, a shopping scene with Cammie and Violet and a sex scene with Violet and Kevin.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps/Wonderland/Thomas and the Magic Railroad/Space Cowboys/The Girl on the Bridge (2000),Fly (Without Supercat)
Written by Charles Stan Frazier (as Charles Frazier), Matthew Murphy Karges (as Matthew Karges),
Mark McGrath, Rodney Sheppard and McG (as Joseph "McG" Nichol)
Performed by Sugar Ray
Produced by David Kahne (uncredited)
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.,Violet Sanford (Piper Perabo) is an aspiring songwriter from small town New Jersey. She leaves her pizza joint waitress job, her father, and her best friend to pursue her dreams in NYC. Only the big bad city is getting the best of her. Down to her last few dollars, she tries out for a surprising job at a bar called Coyote Ugly.
First, I don't know why she has to move to NYC to pursue her dreams as a songwriter. I would think New Jersey is close enough to get rejected by the music industry, and she could do a week or two. But as a songwriter, why does she have to stay there? I think it would be better if she's an actress.
Then the rejections are so silly and ham fisted. It had me rolling my eyes, and hating the first act. By the time she gets to the bar, I couldn't really stand the movie. Maria Bello plays the bar owner. Izabella Miko, Tyra Banks, and Bridget Moynahan play the dancers. Other than watching some hot actresses dancing suggestively, there isn't much in this movie., |
Coz Ov Moni | null | null | null | null | null |
Coz Ov Moni 2 | null | null | null | null | null |
CQ | 6.2 | 5K | 54 | 60 | After being fired, Andrezej puts his fist through the screening room door. This is a reference to Francis Ford Coppola (father of director Roman Coppola) and his short temper. In fact, when the editors get a framed section of the destroyed wall, it is actually a portion of a wall the elder Coppola wrecked in his early directing days.,When Dragonfly swerves her car in reverse in the tunnel, there are skid marks already on the ground along the path her tires take.,Paul: I just want to capture what's real and honest.
Marlene: And what if it's boring?,Featured in On the Set of 'CQ' (2002),Ce Soir, Je Vais Boire
Lyrics by Gilles Thibaut
Music by Bruno Canfora
Performed by Claude François
Courtesy of Universal International Music, B.V.
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises,CQ (2002) *** Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Elodie Bouchez, Gerard Depardieu, Giancarlo Giannini, Massimo Ghini, John Phillip Law, Jason Schwartzman, Dean Stockwell, Billy Zane. Filmmaker Roman Coppola proves to be a chip off the old block (his dad is Francis Ford, duh!) with this sweetly dark comic valentine to foreign films of France and Italy focusing on a struggling film editor/auteur wannabe (Davies in all his squirmy, milquetoasty glory) assigned to a disastrous sci-fi B flick where he winds up being a replacement director and falls deeply in love with his gorgeous starlet (Lindvall, the epitome of sex echoing the leonine good looks of Catherine Deneuve at her start) in the process. Coppola has a keen technical sense incorporating set and production design, costumes, camerawork, editing and low-key acting to make a picture perfect ode to the hurly-burly world of filmmaking then and now. If there is a criticism it is that it is a bit slight in its theme (filmmaker's navel gazing fails to see the big picture: love is all around) yet there's a nice homage to Coppola's relationship with his famous father in the interplay between Davies and his onscreen father Stockwell, an absent-minded businessman, echoing nicely. The title is a play on Seek You = CQ., |
A Crack in the Floor | 3.1 | 1.2K | 47 | 6 | Madeleine Wade's debut.,Tyler Trout: You know what's good about that suppository? When she farts, it's gonna smell like southern fried chicken. You hold that in your heart.,References An American Werewolf in London (1981),One of the worst movies I've ever seen, however Gary Busey and Mario Lopez both give the best performances of their lives. If you've ever wanted to hear A.C. Slater talking about a man with a missing nose 69'in a chick or see Mr. Gary Busey make a mad dash to the bathroom trying to contain his diarrhea after giving the craziest dialog you'll ever hear, then this is the film for you. You can talk all day about Citizen Kane if you like. For my money, this film deserves it's rightful place at the top of the heap. Plotwise it's absolutely terrible, the story is ridiculous and it doesn't have much of an ending but the dialog is amazing. The superstar cast is really what makes this the best film ever made., |
Crack in the World | 5.9 | 2.8K | 73 | 45 | Eugène Lourié had two models of the gantry built. The second was made of balsa wood for the explosion scene. This insured complete destruction of the gantry while avoiding the danger of the set being sprayed by shrapnel.,Most of the vehicles in the movie have their steering wheels on the left; however, the action is supposed to take place in Tanganyika, a former British colony which drives on the left and auto steering wheels are on the right of the car.,[Rampion is revived after being pulled unconscious from a volcanic vent]
Simpson: How do you feel?
Dr. Ted Rampion: Medium rare.,Featured in TJ and the All Night Theatre: The Colossus of New York + Crack in the World (1979),In my opinion, this is one of the best classic science fiction movies ever made, right up with The War of the Worlds (1953), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Forbidden Planet (1956).
To us in 2011, its special effects might be laughable, and yes we know that you wouldn't fire a missile down a hole to punch into magma with a nuclear warhead. But it is a delightfully unique story of ingenuity that contains a major element that *has* come to pass, albeit not as the writers foresaw - the development of geothermal energy. It also showcases a time 55 years ago when no one had any idea what the inside of the Earth was like! The movie was based on best-guess geology, and what they developed made it fun. Further, it notes the potential dangers of messing with Mother Earth unless you're absolutely sure of what you're doing.
Many pieces of technology and social graces speak well to illustrate a period in history that many of us were either too young to remember, or not even born yet.
As I said, this is not Industrial Light and Magic, but the special effects are great for the period. I have and always will be a fan of using detailed miniatures.
I gave this movie a very high rating because it's just a good flick to sit down and watch. The story is fun and interesting, but not heavy. The science is wrong but at least they tried, and you have to smile at that. Astonishingly, the casting and acting is decent as well.
Be sure to find some time for this movie, and don't be afraid, this is *not* a 1956 version of "The Core." They are entirely different movies of both type and quality., |
Cracked Eggs and Noodles | 5.8 | 113 | 1 | null | null |
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