Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

This is definitely not what I expected.

There are two distinct stories here. And they are both intriguing.

Emma Thompson is brilliant here, playing P.L. Travers.

Surprising to find Colin Farrell and it is probably his most dramatic role to date.

Interestingly, this movie is about father and their relationship with their children and how this intersected with Walt Disney and P.L. Travers when Walt was pursuit her for the movie rights for her books. The result is Mary Poppins.

Very good movie. Very good insight to how a movie is made.

My Two Sen.

Good luck and enjoy.

Electric Dreams (1984)

What do you get when you crossed Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Tchaikovsky, Bach with the 80s?

Well, you get this movie!!

It is my opinion that outside of the Golden age of Hollywood, Lenny von Dohlen & Virginia Madsen probably is one of the loveliest screen couple in the movies!!

Virginia Madsen in more recent interview admitted that they were head over heals, over each other during the making of the movie but alas none of them acted on their feelings after the movie!!

Believe it or not, this movie is about Artificial Intelligence in an age where there is no internet, and Personal Computer has the same processing power of a scientific calculator (no sound card, not graphic card, no USB ports etc)!! Gosh I don't believe how people in the 80s live without the internet, wikipedia, emails, ipod, smart phones and actually had actually had to talk to each other!!

Still they managed to built a "smart house" so to speak.

The PC images in the move although rudimentary in this day and age. but back then, it was state of the art!!

In the film credit, they actually dedicated the movie to UNIVAC I.!!

Love this, love this, love this. Too bad it is not out on DVD or Bluray.

My Two Sen.

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Mar 10 2014, 06:38 PM

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Goss, I'm on the blast from the past, trip!! For some odd reason, I have never watched this before.

I have heard about it mind you, but never watched it.

I'm sure most of you probably heard of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, and I believe this would be his most famous case! (And also the author's favorite film adaptation)

Albert Finney's (last seen in Skyfall [2012]) Hercule Poirot (a fictional Belgian detective) is impeccable!!

Just see his night "routine" before he goes to sleep and you will not help but notice, this person is immaculate in EVERY FACET OF HIS LIFE!

This movie has the whose who of Hollywood, Ingrid Bergman (I just want to be alone), Jacqueline Bisset, Sean Connery, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael York (Basil Exposition anyone?? ) etc, etc... No wonder the tagline for the movie was "The greatest cast of suspicious characters ever involved in murder."!!

If you have not read the book, and you like drama, for Pete's sake watch this. I promise you, you'll never guess, WHO DID IT!!

My Two Sen

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Mar 10 2014, 12:23 AM

Last Vegas (2013)

Remember, when you get to be aged, like me, you really appreciate the friends and family you have. Especially the ones who had stick with you through thick and thin.

This comedy movie nice encapsulate that!

With Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kelvin Kline, with director Jon Turteltaub, it is very good.

Think Hangover, but with a little more style/character and acting!!

My Two Sen.

I am Van Damme Behind Closed Doors (2014)
Documentary

Suppose to be a no hold bars, in depth look at, the live and work attics of Jean-Claude Van Damme...

Can anyone here remember basic quantum mechanics? The fact the we are observing the very small, changes the state of the very small, so we might never know the natural state of the very small.

I think he meant well making this 5/6 episodes of his life, but it came across-ed as... very self serving...

Only managed to watch 0ne and a half episodes...

My Two Sen

Yup

Don't forget a very young Cuba Gooding Jr. as Major Salt.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Will look for Flu... the movie not the virus...

The Pelican Brief (1993)

I wonder why they had stop adapting John Grisham's books.

It is a drama + investigative journalism.

It is amazing how much in 21 years things have changed.

What that had once seen as "noble" (eg. journalism exposing injustice, committed by the rich and powerful), is now seen as "unpatriotic". (Snowden anyone)

I personally feel, that the world has become much much more cynical place and that, ladies and gentlemen, is sad.

Going back to the movie, Denzel Washington has a inner calmness that gives his performances alot of gravitas!

A very young and beautiful Julia Roberts, headlines this production with a very convincing performance as Darby Shaw, the writer of The Pelican Brief!

Once she had written it and passed it to her Professor/Lover, who in turned passed it to his F.B.I. friend.... Well, lets just say, something hits the fan...

Again, I emphasize this is a drama. And a well made one at that. Not many movies are made like this nowadays. The closes would be Jack Reacher (2012) (although there are more action in Jack Reacher).

Another movie I like a couple of years from 1993 is Conspiracy Theory (1997) which I hope I can get a copy of soon to re-watch in the near future.

If you want something different from the what is made nowadays, give this a go.

My Two Sen

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Mar 15 2014, 01:57 PM

I agree!

I did enjoy the movie at the cinema

Firestorm 風暴 (2013)

Gosh, I am currently consistently surprise by stuff that is coming out from Hong Kong.

Another good movie from Hong Kong and the ending is... surprising!!!

If you like Cops and robbers movies, give this a go.

There are some faults in the script (eg. alot of good characters have too little to do...and have to add overall, not bad)

And oh, for the Home Theater lovers out there, you want Sense Surround, THIS MOVIE GIVES YOU SENSE SURROUND (Dolby TrueHD).

I humbly submit, my two sen.

Franco De Vita - Vuelve en Primera Fila (2013)

For the lover of Spanish/Latin Rock, please note this.

Very good concert. Very VERY well recorded. Con, it is in Spanish.

My Two Sen

CAT. 8 (2013)

A quick show of hands here, who wants to watch a science fiction mini series, that is filled with bad science!!

How bad you ask?

The science is SO bad and full of holes, you can shoot a Tsar Bomb (The largest Thermal Nuclear Bomb made by man. It is equivalent to about 1,350–1,570 times the combined power of the bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki) through it!!

Not possible.

Let me give you several samples
Shame on Matthew Modine for being the lead here...

I sat through this so you don't have to.

AVOID THIS LIKE THE PLAGUE...

You've been warned kiddies... YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!

My Two Sen

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Mar 22 2014, 09:12 AM

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) Addendum

The imagery of the movie IS FLAWLESS.

Though I have to admit, the addition of Legolas is a little.... clunky (he was not in the original The Hobbit book.)

For my original review, please goto:

Mov_freak's original The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

My Additional Two Sen

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Mar 22 2014, 09:23 AM

Seriously?? Maybe she is trying to be a "SINGER" and not a performer!! I understand they are having issues selling tickets to her Vegas Shows...

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Mar 22 2014, 09:49 AM

Everybody age. The trick is to age gracefully....

... Okay, she is lazy!!

The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

It turns out, of all the classic movies I have watched, I rarely watched Columbia's stuff. I believe today it the first time I have watched a movie with... Rita Hayworth!!

Madonna actually got it right:



This is the first time I watched this movie and it is interesting!

I really don't know Orson Welles materials well.

He and Rita Hayworth apparently were married when this was made.

Rita Hayworth was Columbia's biggest star and Orson Welles previous movie, Citizen Kane (1941) did not do so well.

Because of Rita Hayworth, This movie got made, and it did not make any money when it was first release. But, since then it is consider a very good example of what Film Noir is!!

Story is interesting, although a little strange.

Alot had been written about the ending of the movie, but for me, I think the Courtroom scene is the money shot!!

They REALLY do not make movies like they use to.

If you like mystery and film noir, give this a go.

My Two Sen.

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Mar 22 2014, 11:10 PM

Does the movie rights to silmarillion belong to Warner Brothers/New Line??

Am I the only one who is saying, If Only Guillermo del Toro stuck to the Project before going off to Ultraman (er Pacific Rim ) land?? They would have been a much darker movies...

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Mar 23 2014, 08:41 AM

Nowhere to Run (1993)

I do not religiously follow Jean-Claude Van Damme's works, and have to add, this is actually a decent movie!

So much so that I believe Kate Winslet/Josh Brolin's Labor Day (2013), has similar premise, maybe not so much Kickboxing...

Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a fugitive on the run from the law and he meets u with a widow and her two children, who is having alot of issues with a big property developer.

His (JCVD) dramatic acting skills here is actually convincing!

If you want a decent Sunday afternoon movie, why not give this a spin.

My Two Sen.

47 Ronins!!!

Keep the question coming!!