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I watch some 400 to 500 movies a year. I consume movies, with a strong focus on foreign fares (mostly Asian) and off-beat oddities. I built this site to keep track of my DVD collection, write reviews, maintain a blog where i write weekly about the US Box office numbers and various movie-related news, keep track of every movie i watch, collect DVD covers and set-up virtual shelves and so on. RatingMovies.ComŽ was born and grew from there.
I made all those sophisticated tools available to anybody so you can do all of this too. This is a site for film and DVD enthusiasts (i.e. freaks) where you can build your own communities, with your very own movie and dvd lists, reviews, blogs and RSS feed, mailing lists, a home page like this one, and even keep track of movies your friends borrowed from you.
In case you have been living under a rock, the ne wBatman movie is the talk of the world, having broken pretty much all records worth broken. For example, it now holds the record for fastest to $300M, which it did in 10 days only. This is incredible, and there are talks the movie could reach $500M in the US alone, and over a billion internationally.
I know what you are going to say! He actually liked this film? In a guilty-pleasure kind of way, i absolutely unashamedly did. The film is not as bad as some people would like you to believe, features some pretty good action, and great looking female leads kicking ass. It's sexy in a PG way (i am French, but it's truly PG), and the action is definitely PG. Only a few swear words here and there warranted a PG-13 rating in my opinion. At times, the film is actually really well done with a few really cool scenes. And then, the film doesn't take itself too seriously so you just go along for the joy ride and enjoy it for what it is: pure eye candy entertainment.
Three Women, each at the top of their fighting style, are recruited to take part in a deadly martial arts competition with fighters from across the world called DOA (Dead Or Alive). Christie (Holly Valance, a British pop singer in her first movie appearance) is a world class thief, Kasumi (supermodel Devon Aoki) is a Ninja princess, and Tina (Jaime Pressly) is a pro wrestler. They go, fight, uncover a conspiracy and win the day with charm, skills and wit.
This movie is based on a video game of the same name, so you know you won't get deep character development or fancy neural footwork. But the movie is quite well done, and the performances just good enough for you to not get a cardboard treatment of the story and its characters. I must say i do have a weakness for Holly Valance in particular whom i really really like a lot! She is as sexy as i have ever seen her. But Jaime Pressly also managed herself pretty well (although i really don't like her voice). Devon Aoki is the only one who barely manages to act a little, although her physical presence on screen is adequate here. The rest of the cast is just plain fun, with inventive characters and backstories and all.
Overall, the film is extremely enjoyable for an evening after a long day of work, and that's how you should approach this. It's unpretentious fun all around. It's a film i have seen 5 times now in about a year's time, and i keep enjoying it. I have read there is an uncut version out there but i don't know more than that. Is there bloodier action? Is there nudity? Maybe there'll be an Unrated DVD here in the US at some point in the future since this DVD has actually fared above expectations.
For most people, the name "Ian Curtis" is not familiar. For many people, British band Joy Division is also quite unknown. Granted, it was probably the least popular of the most influential bands of the late 70's, but i have always been surprised by how few people i know also know this band. It ushered in the post-punk era, bringing in hints of things to come from such New Wave bands as Depeche Mode, or Industrial bands such as Cabaret Voltaire in the 80's. Ian Curtis, the lead singer for Joy Division, had epilepsy and committed suicide in 1980. This movie tells the story of the band with a clear focus on its front man.
This is a straight biopic, actually, as straight as they come. As a matter of fact, when watching this film, you'd think that Curtis was the most boring man on earth. Except for his epilepsy and final suicide, the man is portrayed as emotionally void, and devoid of any particular vice or fire. It's only when he performs that you can get a glimpse of this unique talent. And here, Sam Riley is electric. Although the movie seems to be empty of any real firy emotion, or rock'n'roll attitude, it shines during the concert scenes. For those scenes alone and Riley's performance, is the film worth it for fans of the band who will want to watch this loud.
This lack of depth in the portrayal of Curtis is troublesome. I have a hard time believing that this portrayal is any accurate based on film footage, documentaries about the band, and other materia that i have seen in the pastl. Maybe this is due to the fact that this film was based on Curtis' wife's book and was also produced by her. I am not sure. But Curtis is portrayed mostly as a failed family man, and this point of view is reinforced by a very good performance from Samantha Morton playing the wife. What you get on screen is as far away from a Rock'n'Roll star as you can imagine.
This is a gorgeous movie, filmed in evocative black and white, and filled with electric musical performances that cover some of the band's best tracks, and most famous performances. I have watched real footage and it's really hard to tell the difference with the real thing. Sam Riley is that good when he's behind the mike. But the movie fails in conveying the man's depth outside of the stage, and the film is unfortunately very dull throughout most of its running time. It's hard to recommend this film to anyone but someone with an interest in the band.
What a waste of a great opportunity! This is a great film that was butchered seemingly from all aspects of production. Within the first few minutes, i dare you not to feel excited about the premise of the story. I found myself thinking: "Woh! This is something i'd love to be able to do. This is so cool". But after 10 minutes, you realize that you have a rotten lemon on your hands.
David Rice (Hayden Christensen) is a man who seemingly has the world at his feet: he's young, handsome, rich, and charismatic. Then you discover that he literally has the world at his fingertips: he can teleport pretty much anywhere he can visualize through a photo, or a memory for example. He has breakfast at the great pyramids, takes a quick surf in Hawaii before going to Moscow for Lunch, and ending the day in a hip club in London. How cool is that! Of course, soon enough, he discovers that he's not alone and that some misterious organization headed by Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) wants to wipe out his kind from the world.
The premise is very cool, Samuel L. Jackson as usual is very cool too, and Hayden Christensen manages barely to not suck. The music is also very cool, and the visuals well done. In particular, i liked how the effects were done and how the overall editing for the movie was done. But that's it. The cast overall is really terrible, with super pretty Rachel Bilson unable to emote anything on screen, and spoling many moments in the film. As a matter of fact, her character seems to have been added late into the story, maybe to satisfy some marketing idiot who wanted to have some romance in the story to attract teenage girls to the flick.
And that's the main problem with the film... It seems to have been constructed by a commitee, with no regard to continuity, events that made sense, or characters that made sense. By the time you have reached the half-way mark, you are left scratching your head about where the movie has been taking you since is started, and how long you have more to suffer of it to reach some conclusion. At that point too, you have given hope that the conclusion would either make sense or be any satisfying. The movie's narrative, and direction, are a mess. And technically, even if the "jump" effect is fery cool, overall, the cinematography is uninspired and aimless, like the story.
This is such a frustrating movie as you can clearly see the cool concept and imagine how cool a simple straight sci-fi romp could have been. Instead, you get an end result that has sufferred through so many manipulations (or so it feels), that you are left with a tasteless overcooked fried burger on stale bread when it all started with the promise of a superb rib steak grilled to perfection. That's a shame.
Mist, The (2007) came out to great reviews and everybody i know who saw it loved it. Yet, it only managed $26M at the box office, although it's gathering a sort of cult fan following on home video. I finally got to see this film last night, and i was completely satisfied. This is not your average horror film with cheap tricks. This is a very well constructed story of social melt-down. Think of it as a Lord Of The Flies (1963) with adults in a horror/sci-fi setting.
One morning, a little town in New England wakes up with a thick mist coming its way from the lake. At first thought to be nothing more than a meteorological phenomenon, reports surface of people dying when they go into the mist. For a small group of people who were at a supermarket when the mist came up, holing up together until the storm dies down seems like the right thing to do. But it starts to become clear that it's not the mist that is attacking people, but things in the mist. As pressure mounts, and as it becomes increasingly clear that the threat is supernatural, the social levees break down and the little population in the supermarket starts fragmenting. You have the cocky intellectual who refuses to believe what's right in front of his eyes, the pragmatics who realize that action must be taken in order to survive at all, and finally, the religious-minded who soon gather around a mentally disturbed but eloquent and convincing woman who predicts that this is the end of the world and that they should all prepare to meet their maker. Quickly, conflict arises within as forces that are not of this world gather outside for what seems like the final kill.
Characters are richly defined and layered, an attribute i associate to Stephen King's style of writing. I guess one could argue that he's not the greatest writer, but i always thought that he managed great stories and great characters. He can describe his main character and highlight parts of their personalities through behaviors that click with the right aspects of the story. In particular, i have much enjoyed in the past It (1990) and Stand, The (1994), mostly for their rich characters and layered story. I felt an undeniable similarity of structure here in the way the story is told.
But, truly speaking, it's the creatures that give this film a whole new dimension that keep on reinforcing the desperation and hopelessness of the situation for the characters holed up in the supermarket, a place that was safe once, and a place that represents the pinnacle of our modern consumerism (anyone seeing a connection with Living Dead 2, Dawn Of The Dead, The (1978) here?). First of all, the creatures are very varied, for the first 3 or 4 waves of attacks, you basically experience new kinds f bugs each time. It creates a simple but so effective feel that there are a whole lot of those creatures out there. Then of course the mist is used in a fantastic way to create more suspense. The first attacks are always ill defined, and you can only guess hat the bugs look like, and then they reveal themselves. This is a trick that has been used many times in the past by masters such as John Carpenter (Fog, The (1979)) or George A. Romero (Living Dead 1, Night Of The Living Dead, The (1968)), but it's done so well here as to genuinely be a whole part of the story. Then o course, the creature design itself is top notch. Most of the creatures are some sort of bugs, but they feature mammal teeth, and things that look like distorted faces. It's very familiar, yet very different from anything you have seen before.... and the result is even creepier.
This film is truly a gem of sci-fi/horror cinema and it's regrettable that it hasn't found an audience. It should have broad appeal because of its great ensemble cast and writing. It shouldn't turn most people off as the horror elements are pretty traditional: it's bloody, but in the expected way. It's above all a rich drama that hapens to have a lot of nasty bugs from another dimension crawling aorund and eating up and infesting people. This film will mostly have you on the edge of your seat though, guessing at what will happen next, rooting for characters in the story, and feeling with them their adventure and despair. The end will shock you and my wife and i were very polarized about it. I felt it was a perfect ending in the context of the story (all humans are flawed by nature in some aspect), but my wife was really affected by it, rejecting the characters' final choices. You can decide for yourself. This fill will leave you thinking about lots of stuff.
As far as messed up families go, this movie should be considered one of the best in the genre. An incredible story, strong characters and great performances make this chilly tale of family angst and total dysfunction an instant dark treat.
Andy (Philip Seymour-Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) are two brothers on the brink of collapse. Andy is a heroine and cocaine addict who has been stealing from the company he works for. Hank is a loser who can barely make ends meet, with a daughter who has little respect for him and a divorced wife who seems to harbor nothing but a passive hate and resentment towards him. In order to "save" themselves, they hatch together a plan to rob their parent's jewelry store. They think it'll be simple: they know the combination to the safe, so it'll be just a matter of going there, getting the loot, and leaving. Insurance will repay their parents, so it's a victim-less crime. But things are never as simple as they first seem. Instead of the regular store attendant on that day, it's the boys' mother who actually opens the store. And instead of just doing it themselves, they hire a small-time crook who decides to bring a gun with him. You do the math and the most horrible thing happens: the mother is shot and the crook is shot too, and slowly, people around, and the police, are making their way to the brothers who now have to erase the remaining evidence to escape justice. Andy descends into a web of violence and paranoia where ultimately, his own brother is seen as a hindrance.
This is a very violent movie. There is some blood and shootings, but that's not what i am talking about here. It's the emotions on display that are violent, ugly and dirty to say the least. The term "Human Garbage" fits perfectly the character of Andy, masterfully portrayed by Philip Seymour-Hoffman, but the film is very successful in showing the context in which he evolved to that, including a stern and emotionally detached father (Albert Finney) who will shock you in his final act in this movie. Hank's character is also pitch perfect as a loser who seems to have been so traumatized as a child that the stigma of failure is ever present in every single part of his personality.
Besides the fantastic performances, technically, the film is also quite interesting. It's very well filmed, and told as a series of flashbacks that sometime occur chronologically, and a few times not, making you want to pay attention a little bit more to figure out the lay of the land.
It takes effort to get into this movie and understand all the character exposition, but ultimately, you will be swept away by this very well written story full of twists and turns. If you are in for some dirty family laundry, a challenging film with a complex story and top performances, then this is a perfect choice.
Even today, this 50's Sci-Fi classic remains quite edgy. Of course, the visual effects are dated, but they remain somehow perfectly adequate for the story and the film's overall feeling. This is Sci-Fi at its best, with an interesting concept and strong philosophical undertones that end in an existentialist declaration like few other films have been able to manage.
Scott Carey is a regular man, well off, with a good job, married to a beautiful woman, living in a beautiful house: the perfect American dream. One day on a vacation, he gets trapped into some sort of mist and 3 months later, starts feeling like he's losing weight. First, his clothes start feeling smaller, then he starts becoming smaller than his wife. Things start to get scary and he seeks medical help: the man is actually shrinking. The top minds in the Californian medical community are on his case, but few answers come out of that. Inexorably pulled towards the infinitesimal, the man can't stop shrinking until he's no bigger than a grain of dust.
A cool part of this film is how we see this man in different stages of shrinking, and how the world, and all the rules for it, get rewritten. At first, he is the subject of countless medical experiments, and although the intentions of the doctors is never put into question, one can't help but feel the desperate position they hold and how slowly, Scott becomes just another test subject. Then, in the next stage, when he's no bigger than a 10 year old child, he meets a dwarf woman he starts connecting with instantly. But this is all passing as his condition continues. Soon, he is so small that the house cat becomes a danger for him, and then house bugs such as the fascinating spider. As he becomes smaller and smaller, his profound existence as a man is both reaffirmed and constantly endangered. The spider subplot is fantastic in reaffirming his humanity, and his brains over the animal world, even if physically he is considerably diminished. But soon, as he continues to shrink, the hopelessness of his very life becomes all too definitive.
My kids were glued to the screen. I was glued to the screen. This is a fantastically written film with smarts, fun, and deep questions. Even if the visual effects are quite dated, and the overall pace of the film is typically 50's (meaning, much slower than today's fares even as it clocks in at 81mn), the film's power rests in the story, the strong performance of the lead characters, and great set pieces.
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