Change Your Image
sheyenne
A friend of mine once said that I watch movies that nobody else watches. There's a seed of truth in that as I tend to watch older movies more and less mainstream ones. The more obscure the movie is the more it seems to interest me. I like to watch videos with the subtitles on. English is not my native tongue. Most of my life's lessons have been learned in films. On the average, I spend from 1.5 to 6 hours of video time in a week. I've been an IMDB member since August 2000 and to date have rated 5982 titles. Today is Jan 10, 2020. [Last I edited this was Jul 4, 2019 with 5,771 rated titles]
I don't rely much on the IMDB ratings. It is a public opinion, and what do they know about movies? Probably the same thing I do, which is not much ;) And what do they know about me? Probably close to nothing. So I think it's safe to say that they won't know what I would like and not like. I choose to watch a movie in its entirety even when I am not liking it - to give the creators/collaborators some justice and then insult them by multi-tasking while watching hahaha. Folding clothes or ironing can be less of a chore when viewing something on screen.
Below is my system of rating against IMDBs:
6/10 is Okay: Most of the films I've seen are rated in this category. Films as you expect them to be. If a movie was bad, I would rate it 5/10. If I hated it maybe 4/10. There's a lot things invested when a movie is made and so I try not to hammer them by scoring less than 4.
7/10 is pretty good: These are the films that had some bits and pieces that I really liked. Those that could possibly appeal only to me.
8/10 is really good: There are films that I not only wouldn't mind watching again but perhaps endeavor a few more éncores.
9/10 is very, very good: Better than the eights and constitutes more than one of the criteria I have for a perfect 10 (see below).
10/10 is perfect: Constitutes all of the following characteristics namely; good acting/casting, good story line/script, great cinematography (this could include minimalist angles) and a moral lesson (not limited to feel-good happy-endings).
Female, born on 1973 in Manila Philippines, now lives in Chicago IL.
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Cool as Ice (1991)
Still fresh and slammin' even after 25 years
I just saw this movie again today. The first time was last night hahah. I can't get enough of it. I find that the more I view it, the better it becomes. I don't see it as ridiculous at all. Except maybe for the elderly couple mechanic, especially when they started break dancing! I think the movie is utterly sincere and very heartfelt.
Though I didn't see this movie when it came out for various insignificant reasons (I was in the Phils and not sure if it was shown there. If it was, I wouldn't be in a habit of going to the theaters as a college student. I could only afford one movie at the time and I chose to see Jurassic park then. OK, yeah you're not interested in my teen life). I'm not exactly a fan but heck we had a legit intramural cheer song number to the tune of Ice, Ice Baby.
And the "rave" reviews didn't deter me from choosing to view this on Hoopla. I wasn't expecting much. I was looking for something light and moderately entertaining. What I found is an earnest appreciation for it. The opening scene sets the tone for the movie. Dark room but not moody, some strobe lights, but it's not the disco. Dudes and dudettes (terms inappropriate for this genre) were on the dance floor. The energy is apparent. The steady almost graceful kind of motions that won't be mistaken for the hyperactive seizure dance of today, if that may be called as such.
I reflected slowly and surely that Robert Matthew Van Winkle captivated my heart. First he can act. He's not awkward on camera. He exudes a kind of "steelness" quality only someone dubbed as him could warrant. He can dance and not completely unpleasing to the eyes either. Tall, blond and with striking good looks, who wouldn't be enthralled. Not just that, check out the wardrobe and the hairstyle! That haircut alone deserves a separate commentary. Lines shaved with asymmetrical geometric patterns and lightning bolts that extend to the eyebrows! His style is truly like a chemical spill, in Chernobyl!
This movie was made 25 years ago and so much in our society have changed since. And people who questioned those scenes have got to understand that it was nonetheless still a different culture back then. Ghettos on motorbikes weren't so scary and suspicious. In this movie, they're simply a band of artist. A rapper and his break-dancing home-boys and well one home-girl. The representative kid in this movie, a 10-yr old boy, is aware of sex nut not obsessed about it even when he often chides his sister about i). The word "sex" is spoken but not done, even off camera. The romantic montage, which could very easily be littered with soft porn slow motion takes and salacious poses, was kept clean. (Considering the director's previous playboy flicks). There was not even tongue! It was GP. The movie simply isn't interested in sex. Come to think of it, I don't believe there were any curse words either. I don't recall hearing the 4-letter F word. The editing was smart using ingenious camera angles combined with tongue-in-cheek props (green eggs, Quotes on wallpaper, crazy fun-house cum garage). Cinematography is on par, nothing less to be expected from a future academy holder. And the writing? Words of wisdom such as ... "If you ain't true to yourself then you ain't true to nobody" "Live your life for someone else, you ain't livin'" "It's not where you're from, it's where you're at" "Can you put it back together with quickness?"... it's like Shakespeare! Of the 20th century.
I don't care what any body else thinks, I love this movie.
The Savages (2007)
What children are compelled to do
Jon and Wendy Savage are brother and sister children of no good parents. Their mother left them young and is "out of the picture". Their father brutal and abusive. Nonetheless, the siblings grew up as normal as middle-class Americans with middle-age types of woes. Time came when they have to take care of their aging dad. Despite how they were treated before, Wendy is compelled with providing her dad the with utmost care. Jon, on the other hand, is the level-headed, has a matter-of-fact way of dealing with life. I love how the melodrama is stripped out of it. Seeing him teary-eyed as he watches the rehearsal of the play that his sister had written about the pain they experienced, was very heartfelt. But they triumphed over the hurt and that's admirable.
Donkey Punch (2008)
Typical plot but a clever story narrative
It's easy to dismiss this movie as one of the dime-a-dozen teenage horror flicks that flood nowadays. I might have given it my distinguished rating of 7/10 for its almost original story arc. Most of the acting was pretty ordinary, the chicks are almost annoying. Young people wanting to party and have a good time. And after the sex and drugs, I looked at the time and muttered, "ok, so there is 60 more minutes of me watching these kids do stupid things". Thanks to our musketeer Athos, Tom Burke, who played the character of Bluey, a sly DJ-chav (his accentuation reminds me of a whigger); and New Girl pretty boy, Julian Morris, who played shy and awkward Josh made the viewing more bearable. As it turns out the characters did not all go crazy and run amok. It was an unhurried progression of sensible malice, if there is such a thing. The scene with Bluey and Josh talking at night midway through the story was well played. It took Bluey little, if not nothing, to influence the seemingly sissy Josh. If you are willing to overlook some geographical gaffes and dig black humor ("Your lung's filling up with blood but that's why God gave you two") then it might not be too bad to watch. I think there are far more worse films. And I had to pick this one over Fellini's Satyricon, yes, really.
Rock of Ages (2012)
Cliché love story with some genuinely funny vignettes
*** warning: possible spoilers *** The main story line is not out of the ordinary and easily predictable. Back stories were quite entertaining such as pop band spoof and the relationship between the Boss (Alec Baldwin) and his sidekick Lonny (Russel Brand) who were completely comfortable with their masculinity, bravo! The camera movement gave me a headache and thought it was a pity because there was so much going on in the scene that I couldn't really enjoy. In which case I would say that the sets were excessive in that you couldn't really feast our eyes on because the camera was moving too much.
Songs bring nostalgia to the almost bygone era. Cameo's are adorable towards the end and the not-so-unexpected twist made it a 6/10 to me.
Bagets (1984)
80s nostalgic trip
Finally I've watched this film after avoiding it since it came out (I was 11 years old then). I shunned it thinking it to be corny. Instead, I found it quite entertaining. The comedic script is classic. There's not much plot in it. The adult subjects and conflicts are dealt with subtlety. The actors where impressive in the sense that there were all a natural, unlike the Pinoy movie stars of today who always seem to overdo their acting. I noticed too that the actors speak very good English. They don't sound trying hard (again like in movies of today). And I was delighted to see a whole slew of now-famous prominent comedians (Zorayda, Beverly, Dexter Doria, and many more that were not listed in the cast). I found the DVD at netflix, it was not the best transfer but I still enjoyed it.
Behaving Badly (1989)
bleak start but builds up to a satisfying end
I didn't have high expectations for this series to begin with. While it is true that the pacing is slower than As Time Goes By, and I didn't grapple too much on the dialogue as much as I did with ATGB. I found the pacing to just fit the storyline. The plot is not in a hurry to tell a dozen incidences of comic nature but rather delves on the inner psyche of a lonely person and how she is coming to terms with the reality and fighting her unhappiness. The storyline is simple, a middle-aged woman is divorced by her husband for another woman. She tries to make her single life work but is just too lonely to be alone. From moving in with her ex-husband and his lover and a very naggy mother-in-law to camping in her daughter's flat along with 4 other people to falling in love (or simply fancying the thought of "love") to a much younger man. In 4 episodes, we will see that it's not only Brigette (Judi Dench's character) that behaves badly. This little dark comedy series gives warmth and compassion to those who had been neglegted and had risen up to fight loneliness. And don't miss Joely Richardson who is absolutely incredible from her Nip/Tuck-sultry persona to playing this gawky, hypochondriachal pansy. A blast!
Moments of Love (2006)
a typical pinoy melodrama for you
.... sub-plots are actually tight (rare for Filipino flicks) .... has some black magic involved .... Ding-Dong and Iza have pretty good acting skills .... the crying scenes are overdone, as always. I don't know why we Filipinos are so over-dramatic .... that incredibly ridiculous acting by Karille (Zsa-Zsa Padilla's daughter) as the irritating coquette, could she have played the role down a notch and it would have been more enjoyable .... Paolo Contis is very stiff almost abnormal, is he playing a psycho-maniac? If he had relaxed a bit it would have added a little dose of realism to his acting, his characterization is so unreal!
Lancelot du Lac (1974)
not for the mainstream film viewers
I'll start my comment with my comments on the other comments :) The exaggerated blood spurts is of course ridiculous and I believe was meant to be. This is also what Monty Python parodied, not the other way around as others had put it. And why else would they not? It's transcendental! The actors looking like rockstars ... good thing it's vogue in the 70s and besides, the setting is the medieval period its fitting. What do they want, spikes and high crew cuts? And the complaint about the expressionless actors, I rather think that it is because the drama is in the emotions that the viewers feel for the characters.
And now for my film comments... maybe because I have such a penchant for the medieval period and familiar with the legend that I wholly liked it. And sure I found many symbolisms which I did not understand but I certainly did see the beauty. I loved the way it was filmed, the costumes, the speech, the passion... yes passion! For instance, Gawain/Guvain's devotion to Lancelot and yet remained loyal to the king. I didn't mind the repetitious cuts/editing style as I'm sure they have meanings for which I am still yet to uncover. And gladly I will.
The only complaint I have (yes, I also have a nit-pick but it's minimal *wink*) Lancelot looked a lot older than King Arthur. He's supposed to be this strapping man! Anyway, that is easy to get over with. This film is certainly something that I would love to watch again. Read PTA-fan's review and maybe you'll learn something you may have failed to see. I know I did.
Nicole Kidman: An American Cinematheque Tribute (2003)
just saw it on TV
Great tribute to Nicole's acting career. They showed clippings from her past works. Many actors as well as directors she worked with provided accolades to her works. Towards the end of the show, she delivered a very heart-felt, humble speech of gratitude and praise for the arts and all the people that surrounds it.