Top 10 films of 2011: #4a – I SAW THE DEVIL

Jan 02 2012 Published by under Film

I Saw The Devil  is the gold standard of revenge flicks.  There’s nothing that compares to this film.  Nothing.  The only film which comes close is Oldboy.

One day, Joo-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief becomes the victim of serial killer Kyung-chul (Min-Sik Choi) and is found dead in a horrific state.  Her fiance Kim Soo-hyeon (Byung-hun Lee), a top secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself.  He promises himself that he will do everything in his power to take bloody vengeance against the killer, even if it means that he must become a monster himself to get this monstrous and inhumane killer.

I really don’t want to say too much to spoil the film for anyone who might be reading this.  There aren’t any real twists or surprises, but I think it’s better to go in only knowing that you’re watching another brilliant South Korean revenge flick, and let the events hit you like a battering ram.  Filled with fantastic acting, great fight sequences and a shit ton of blood and gore.  A great thriller/drama that’s also one of the most breathtakingly beautiful films I’ve seen a long time.  It’s that fucking good.

No responses yet

Top 10 films of 2011: #7 – MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

Dec 31 2011 Published by under Film

Martha Marcy May Marlene is bone-chilling and terrifying.  It’s the most “psychological” psychological thriller I’ve ever seen.  And quality-wise, it’s probably the #1 film I saw this year.  I just can’t bring myself to put it any higher than #7 because it doesn’t have the enjoyability and replay value that the other films on my list do.

The film tells the story of Martha (Elizabeth Olsen), a girl who has been in a cult led by the charismatic and dangerous Patrick (John Hawkes) for two years, who manages to escape and return to her sister (Sarah Paulson) but is unable to assimilate back into society.

Martha Marcy May Marlene is not something I’ll probably ever watch again.  It’s very heavy material and it left me with a real sense of dread.  I don’t particularly like feeling like that after I watch a film.  That being said, it’s absolutely brilliant.  I can completely believe this is how people who escape from cults feel upon their return to “normal” society.  The disconnect that Martha feels from her sister, unable to tell her what took place, increasingly unable to tell if what she’s experiencing is real or a dream, the all encompassing paranoia that Patrick is going to find her.  It’s all portrayed with such realism that you simply can’t watch this film without having that paranoia creep up on you until you’re just waiting for something bad to happen.  That’s the world that Martha lives in, and Sean Durkin (the writer and director) makes you feel like it’s happening to you.

As you would expect, the performances are outstanding, with the vast majority of praise to go to Elizabeth Olsen in her first ever role (outside of a 1994 Olsen twins made for TV movie).  She gives a very understated performance, and those big expressive eyes really make you wonder what’s going on inside her head.  You feel like you could break her like an eggshell if you do the slightest thing wrong.  The other major roles belong to John Hawkes and Sarah Paulson, and both are equally adept in their performances.  It seems that Hawkes is now the go-to guy for scary intimidating roles, what with this and last year’s Winter’s Bone.  It almost seems strange to think of him as the likeable Dustin Powers from Eastbound & Down or Sol Star from Deadwood.

The marketing department should also be credited with creating some truly excellent poster.

If there’s any justice in Hollywood, Elizabeth Olsen should win the Oscar.  I can’t recommend this film enough.

No responses yet

PERSON OF INTEREST poster

Sep 04 2011 Published by under TV

Jesus and Benjamin Linus fight crime in New York City in Person of Interest.

That sounds interesting to me.

The two kick ass producers help too.

No responses yet

First poster for CONTAGION starring Matt Damon

Jul 21 2011 Published by under Film

Here’s the first poster for the upcoming sci-fi thriller Contagion starring Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet and some others.

IMDB says it’s:

An action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.

Sounds similar to the shitty thriller Outbreak starring Dustin Hoffman.

Contagion is due for release on 9th September 2011 and could end up being one of Soderbergh’s last films if he sticks to his promise to retire.

No responses yet

365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 79 – SECRET REUNION (2010)

Mar 20 2011 Published by under Film

Title: Secret Reunion

Directed by: Hun Jang

Written by: Joo-ho Kim and Kwang-young Choi and Hun Jang

Initial Flickchart position:  #339 of 1400 overall.  My #35 film, of 81, from the year 2010.

What It’s About:
A North Korean spy and a former South Korean agent form a tense partnership.

General Comments:
Another good Korean flick, this time a spy/action drama.  Pretty much all aspects of the film were good, although I think the fight scenes were a little underwhelming.  The gunplay was done well but the actual fist fights just weren’t that great.  There’s not much more to say about the film really.

Watch Secret Reunion because it’s yet another good Korean film, and it’s one that doesn’t end on a downer.

Rating:  6.5/10

No responses yet

365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 77 – THE CHASER (2008)

Mar 18 2011 Published by under Film

Title: The Chaser

Directed by: Hong-jin Na

Written by: Won-Chan Hong, Shinho Lee & Hong-jin Na

Initial Flickchart position:  #294 of 1395 overall.  My #17 film, of 63, from the year 2008 (but both rankings might be too high).

What It’s About:
Joong-ho is a dirty detective turned pimp in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts.  While trying to track them down, he finds a clue that the vanished girls were all called up by a same client whom one of his girls is meeting with right now.

General Comments:
There’s never a happy ending in Korean thrillers.  Never.  I should know this by now but I guess I’m just tuned to the Hollywood way and then I’m always surprised when a film doesn’t end on a positive note.  Still, there’s no denying that the Koreans make really good crime/drama/thrillers, and this is another good entry.  It’s not really a revenge flick so to compare it to Oldboy or I Saw The Devil may not to totally fair, but it has to be said that it’s nowhere near as good as those two films.  Hell, The Man From Nowhere is better too.

Watch The Chaser because it’s a pretty decent crime thriller and it’s nice to take a break from the Korean revenge films, no matter how brilliant they are.

Rating:  6.5/10

No responses yet

365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 71 – LOS CRONOCRIMENES (2007)

Mar 13 2011 Published by under Film

Title: Los Cronocrimenes

Written and Directed by: Nacho Vigalondo

Initial Flickchart position:  #345 of 1389 overall.  My #29 film, of 63, from the year 2007.

What It’s About:
A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour.  Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.

General Comments:
I’m posting this late not because I didn’t watch it yesterday, but because I fell asleep at 4:00pm whilst watching it yesterday and then woke up this morning.  So technically I haven’t broken my string of consecutive days watching films.  Anyway, onto the movie.  Time travel is one of my favourite genres, or sub-genres, and when they’re done well they’re a total mind fuck.  Los Cronocrimenes (aka Timecrimes) is really well done.  The time travel aspect really is a self-contained loop with no explanation as to why it starts.  I guess it’s just destined to play out for Hector at that point in his life, with that smoking hot chick being the only real casualty.

Watch Los Cronocrimenes because it’s a very well done sci-fi/time travel/thriller, and will mess with your mind if you try and figure out the inevitable paradox that all time travel films have, how did the loop begin? Avoid the trailer embedded below if you want to avoid spoilers, since it basically shows every major point of the film.

Rating:  7/10

No responses yet

365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 65 – BLACK SWAN (2010)

Mar 06 2011 Published by under Film

Title: Black Swan

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Written by: Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin

Initial Flickchart position:  #83 of 1381 overall.  My #3 film, of 75, from the year 2010 (but it’ll probably end up #1 or 2).

What It’s About:
A ballet dancer (Natalie Portman) wins the lead in “Swan Lake” and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan – Princess Odette – but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan.

General Comments:
I have no idea how to put into words just how good this film is.  Everyone and everything about it is brilliant, but that shouldn’t really be a surprise considering the quality of Aronofsky’s previous work.  Natalie Portman won best actress from the Academy Awards, Austin Film Critics Association, BAFTA Awards, Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, Central Ohio Film Critics Association, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards, Florida Film Critics Circle Awards, Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards, Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards, Online Film Critics Society Awards, and the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards.  That’s a damn huge list of awards for Portman and it’s obvious to me that she clearly deserved them all and many more besides.  It’s also worth noting that Mila Kunis did a very good job too, which if your only exposure to her had been That 70s Show, may not be something you’d expect.

Watch Black Swan because it’s proof that there are still some people out there who want to create exciting and original films, instead of the typical Hollywood sequel/remake garbage.

Rating:  9/10

No responses yet

365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 64 – PUBLIC ENEMIES (2009)

Mar 05 2011 Published by under Film

Title: Public Enemies

Directed by: Michael Mann

Written by: Ronan Bennett and Michael Mann & Ann Biderman

Initial Flickchart position:  #291 of 1378 overall.  My #26 film, of 77, from the year 2009 (but this seems too low).

What It’s About:
The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

General Comments:
There’s definitely a certain amount of poetic licence taken with the story, and I’m not convinced that Mann’s trademark shakycam fits with the 1930′s aesthetic, but aside from those two quibbles Public Enemies is a very enjoyable film.  Depp oozes the style, confidence and charisma needed for the part, and Bale is able to convey the false sense of confidence that his character demands extremely well.  I was also quite impressed by Marion Cotillard, who’s just as good here as she is in Inception.  I’m actually really disappointed that it took me nearly two years to see this film.

Watch Public Enemies because Johnny Depp is awesome, the story, style and mood of the film is fantastic, and because absolutely everyone in it does a great job.

Rating:  7/10

No responses yet

365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 57 – BODY HEAT (1981)

Feb 26 2011 Published by under Film

Title: Body Heat

Written and Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan

Current Flickchart position:  #201 of 1370 overall.  My #2 film, of 11, from the year 1981.

What It’s About:
In the midst of a searing Florida heat wave, a woman (Kathleen Turner) convinces her lover (William Hurt), a small-town lawyer, to murder her rich husband.

General Comments:
A really good neo-noir starring Kathleen Turner where I don’t find her to be completely annoying to watch.  The film oozes, heat, sex, humidity and mood, and feels nothing like a 1980′s film.

Watch Body Heat because it’s a very good example of neo-noir.  I really don’t know what else to say.

Rating:  7.5/10

BODY HEAT: Movie Trailer. Watch more top selected videos about: Richard Crenna, Ted Danson

No responses yet

Older posts »