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Yours:
Full Metal Jacket - I used to like the first half more like most people, but after multiple viewings I've come to love both halves equally. 9/10
2010 - only seen it once, but I thought it was pretty good. 7/10
I would have given R. Lee Ermey supporting actor over D'Onofrio.
First Time Viewings:
The Bat (1959, Crane Wilbur)
In this one acrazed killer known as The Bat is loose in a mansion full of people. Most of the film takes place in the mansion and the sets were pretty cool. There are a lot of good moments in this one and it has a nice short running time, but it lacked interesting characters which ultimately let it down.
6/10
The Stunt Man (1980, Richard Rush)
A fugitive stumbles upon a movie set just when they need a new stunt man, so he fills in. The main actor (Steve Railsback) is pretty bad in his role and brings the whole movie down and the film itself isn't as fun or entertaining as it sounds. It's saved by Peter O'Toole's great turn as the eccentric movie director.
6/10
The Legend of Hell House (1973, John Hough)
A team of mediums go to a house that is supposedly haunted by the victims of its late owner in this one. The film is well made and has some memorable scenes, but on the whole feels like a lesser version of The Haunting which came out 10 years prior.
6.5/10
Colors (1988, Dennis Hopper)
A rookie cop is partnered with a veteran and they must patrol the streets of East L.A. while trying to keep gang violence under control. This one has some really good scenes and is carried by the two lead performances from Robert Duvall and Sean Penn.
7/10
Seven Psychopaths (2012, Martin McDonagh)
The second film from writer/director Martin McDonagh is about a struggling screenwriter who inadvertently becomea involved in the L.A. cirminal underworld after his friends kidnapa gangster's dog. Much like his first film (In Bruges) the dialogue between characters is a lot of fun and the characters themselves are pretty entertaining. The cast is great too, with my favorite being Sam Rockwell, who I found hilarious. The story was a lot of fun as well and overall I really liked this one.
7.5/10
Saw (2004, James Wan)
Two men awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there and soon discover they are pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a serial killer. The set up is good, but I felt they should have cut some of the subplots out and stuck more with the two main guys trapped in the room together. It didn't help that the lead performances were pretty poor and the film wasn't particularly scary and lacked tension. It has some good stuff though and is pretty well paced, but on the whole it could have been a lot better.
6/10
Murder Party (2007, Jeremy Saulnier)
The directorial debut of Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin, Green Room) was done on a shoestring budget and is about a man who finds an invitation to a Halloween party that leads him into the hands of a rogue collective intent of killing him for the sake of art. The film takes place mostly in one location and despite the budget restrictions the camerawork is actually pretty good and the acting is pretty solid. The film gets increasingly ridiculous as it goes along and it is pretty weird, but I enjoyed it.
7/10
Castle in the Sky (1986, Hayao Miyazaki)
The first film released by the beloved Studio Ghibli is about a young boy and girl with a magic crystal who must race against pirates and foreign agents in search for a legendary floating castle. The animation is excellent, the score is wonderful, and the story was pretty fun. I felt it was a bit long, but still good.
7/10
Kill Me Again (1989, John Dahl)
Director John Dahl's debut is about a detective (Val Kilmer) who becomes involved with a beautiful woman on the run from the mob and her psychopath boyfriend (Michael Madsen). The film is really well made, well acted, and has a great score. The thing I liked best was the story though which sucked me in from the start and had plenty of twist and turns along the way. Underseen and underrated in my opinion.
7.5/10
Porco Rosso (1992, Hayao Miyazaki)
In 1930's Italy, a veteran World War I pilot is cursed to look like an anthropomorphic pig in this lesser know film from Anime director Hayao Miyazaki. As always the animation is great and I liked the score, but I never really was drawn into the story or characters. The finale was fun, but it was too little too late. Not bad, but easily my least favorite Miyazaki so far.
6/10
Repeat Viewings:
In Bruges (2008, Martin McDonagh)
This dark comedy is about a couple of hitmen awaiting orders from their boss after a job gone wrong. The film is beautifully shot and scored and features excellent comedic turns from Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes. The dialogue is great and the film sells its dark comedy well. Lots of fun.
8/10
Night of the Living Dead (1968, George A. Romero)
This zombie classic is about a group of people shacked up together at a farmhouse after the dead start coming back to life. I didn't mind the pacing as much this time around and overall enjoyed it more than the first time. The cast isn't great, but they're solid enough and the finale was really well done.
7.5/10
Dawn of the Dead (1978, George A. Romero)
The second of Romero's trilogy is about a group of people that seek refuge from the zombie epidemic at a shopoing mall. This one has better characters, better pacing, and is just more entertaining than its predecessor. It's also got some great effects and balances horror and humor quite well.
8/10
Day of the Dead (1985, George A. Romero)
The third film of the trilogy concerns a small group of military officers and scientists who dwell in an underground bunker as the world above is overrun with zombies. This one suffers from some pacing issues as well as less interesting characters, but makes up for it by having the best finale of the three as well as some awesome effects.
7.5/10
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975, Milos Forman)
This Best Picture winning classic is about a criminal who is sent to a mental institution to be evaluated. While there he rebels againat the head nurse and rallies up the other patients. The film has one of the best ensemble casts of all time, lead by the great Jack Nicholson in what may very be his best role. The script is excellent, the pacing perfect, and it's funnier and more entertaining than most comedies. Truly one of the best films ever made and one that is endlessly rewatchable.
10/10
Scream (1996, Wes Craven)
This classic is about a teenage girl (Neve Campbell) who is trying to cope with her mother's murder, when an unknown killer begins stalking her and her friends. The film features what is possibly the best opening scene in horror movie history and it is pretty consistently great after that as well. The cast is strong, the characters memorable, and the the mocking of the genre is done brilliantly. It's intense at times, funny at others and overall is just a really well put together film that is incredibly entertaining.
9/10
Movie Awards:
BEST FILM - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST ACTOR - Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
BEST ACTRESS - Neve Campbell (Scream)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Eigil Bryld (In Bruges)
BEST SCORE - Carter Burwell (In Bruges)
BEST SCRIPT - Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
BEST DIRECTOR - Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
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