Oh, well perhaps then because I kinda drew the conclusion that they were covering things up

Any one else thinks that Tony Scott is Michael Bay's brother?

Make sure you watch his commentary on Casablanca as well

It's a chick flick for crying out loud!

Loved Juno
Liked Clayton
Okay with Atonement
Loved Blood
As for No Country, went from like to love.

Heat - watched it to prepare for the Dark Knight. I can already picture Ledger and Bale as something similar to Pacino and DeNiro. "If it's between you and some poor ******* whom you are going to make a widow? Brother, you are going down" was EPIC Righteous Kill will suck but what the heck, In Pacino We Trust.

King Kong 1933 - big point for me was I saw a tit in a 1933 film Jackson's version was/is/will be the best Kong version for me, at least.

Duck Soup - one of the funniest comedies I've seen in my entire life. The quote at the bottom says it all.

any nudity in Burn After Reading? If yes, I'll just look my door and not show it to my mom or she'd start giving me moral fibre. And no, I'm not going to wank off to the film but just don't want to feel awkward watching it.

Slumdog Millionaire

I must say that I did not know much of the plot apart from the fact that Jamal ends up with the jackpot and like Quickfire mentioned with Zodiac, despite the fact that we know he ends up a millionaire, it's a testament to Boyle's ability to keep us on the edge of our seat during the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire sequences.

I thought Patel carried much of the movie on his back and that he made me feel and believe Jamal. I loved how the movie unfolds by revealing a little bit of Jamal's childhood as each question pops out (gameshow or interrogation).

The pacing for me was a double edged sword. While it kept me on my toes feeling breathless, it also caused for a lack of emotion in some scenes. I never really felt for the boys' lost after the attack on religion and I did not feel profound sadness when Jamal's brother redeemed himself in the end.

With that said, the pacing also made the ending all the better as we zip through Jamal's journey in life (from walking through shit-literally to slumdog millionaire), I was somewhat overwhelmed at how far Jamal and Lathika had come through to get the one thing they longed for in life - each other, calling an end to a beautiful film.

5/5 [Not my best film of the year, that goes to Dark Knight/Rachel Getting Married/Milk but worthy of a Top 10 spot]

PS: Couldn't help agreeing in unison when my friend called it a modern day non-retarded Forest Gump.

This post has been edited by kobe8byrant: Dec 31 2008, 02:39 AM

How can he be called a Slumdog Millionaire if he doesn't win?

And no, I think this is more Forest Gump - how his life's experience were all bittersweet and in the end, Jamal finds his 'Jenny' after all the hardships.

You know how

With Penn as a nominee, I don't see Rouke winning. I think the Academy will redeem themselves after ignoring Brokeback Mountain. Don't be surprised if Milk comes up triumphs.

The Wrestler

* Contains spoilers but I make no apologies for it, I don't see how knowing the ending can make it any less of a movie.

Randy 'The Ram' Robinson was one of the main event-ers in the 'sport' during the 80s and he seems to be living in the 80s, clinging on to whatever residue of fame and glory he has had. After getting a battering of a lifetime in a hardcore match, Randy goes into cardiac arrest and needs a bypass. He's told he can't wrestle. With no one to go to, he turns to Cassidy, a stripper, whom he opens up to after every match. "80's rule and 90's suck," they both agree probably because both were in their prime in the 80s. And as the film shows, the new millennium hasn't been too kind to them either.

After the bypass, Randy attends a 'meet the fans' session with other wrestlers who've retired and in one of the film's most effective scenes, we see the wounds of each of Randy's colleagues carry and find out that Randy's lucky to only have had a heart surgery.

And Randy tries to make up with his daughter Stephanie promised to bring her on a date only to miss it after getting knocked up. Stephanie pours out 20 years worth of hate and disappointment onto her old man and tells him that she doesn't want to see him again. It's a double blow when Cassidy tells Randy that she can't be with him either, thinking he's only with her as a stripper and not a woman.

He works as a meat seller in a supermarket and feels that he belongs at first, interacting with people who seemingly cared for him. But after being asked to stay away by Cassidy and Stephanie, he realizes that he only gets attention when a fan recognized him as Randy 'the Ram' Robinson albeit, only older. Like an addict feeling neglected by society, he turns back to his one drug that gives him the feeling of belonging and attention; wrestling.

While all the attention may go to Rouke and to a lesser extent Tomei, I thought Evan Rachel Wood was deserving of some praise as the estranged daughter and I felt every word out of her mouth when she belted out some choice phrases for her dad.

I thought the camera work was incredibly effective, having not seen anything like this in a sports film before, (something Bourne like) in this film and added to the grit and rawness of the film. Clocking in at 109 minutes (or so I'm told from the guys at IMDB), The Wrestler is a 109 minute highlight reel. It's honest and as unforgiving as the glass pane Randy the Ram Robinson lands on.

4.5/5

On second thought, I decided to give it a 5/5 but half a star, what gives? It's a great sports movie and a rarity that we've got a great wrestling themed movie.

This post has been edited by kobe8byrant: Jan 4 2009, 05:41 PM

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Have you watched Big Fish or Forest Gump? Well if you haven't, I'd advise you to flip a coin and if it's heads - Big Fish, tails - Forest Gump. Just avoid this at all cause.

At a Q and A session with the fans, Fincher was asked whether it was the charm or the romance that attracted him the most about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He simply replied "No, I just liked the script" or it was a reply of that sorts. I thought that was pretty cool of Fincher given that I have always put his name in high regard since movies like Fight Club, Seven, Zodiac (wasn't a classic like everyone said due to its length but still a good film) and the underrated The Game and thought he can answer however he pleases. But I stand corrected.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is lifeless. Never have I ever seen a wannabe epic (big budget, length, props and everything) seem like such a waste of resources. I can't commend the acting. I mentioned previously that I hoped that this film bags honors at the Oscars but I've changed my mind. The southern accents were as lazy as lazy can be and the element of time seemed trivial in this movie - what changed from the 30s to 70s apart from drastic aging? All was unseen in the film - apart from a short Beatles clip. Sure he goes through WWII but what, for like 30 seconds? And he lived for 80 years but how much do we know about him to actually care?

Even for the love story, I couldn't comprehend it. No matter which way we look at it, it just seems disgusting. When Daisy asks Benjamin in their forties, "Sleep with me?" I can't help asking, why should he sleep with you now when he rejected you decades ago? Because the age seemed right now? So is it love or lust? And it's hard to care for Benjamin when his character isn't of the same moral cloth as Forest Gump or that Indian kid in Mumbai - he sleeps around with women. Some kind of love for Daisy eh?

It's movies like these and Australia (that's another story) that make me laugh at directors when they try to spend their way to an Oscar only to lose out to an indie film (cues Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire).

Benjamin Button is a star that shines twice as long, half as bright.

Rating: 2.5/5 for the the grandeur settings/props/designs/make up.

This post has been edited by kobe8byrant: Jan 4 2009, 09:28 PM

On sem break?

seriously, you didn't like Run, Lola, Run?

You gotta catch the International. Twyker's best shoot-out scene to date.

Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist - Cera is really becoming one of my favorite actors. If him and Page had babies, let the first child be a feminine one so I can have first dips.

Sherlock Jr - My favorite Buster Keaton feature. Blows The General out of the water if you ask me.

Now that you mention it, I'll go to my resident download shop and check it out.

Promises! Promises!

Well, let's just say it deserves it place in film history

Cobb will remain as one of the finest character actors that ever graced American film.