I just watched Rogue for the second time, and once again loved it. Once you get past the fact that it's a giant crocodile movie, it is an excellent horror movie. Turns out there was a IRL croc named Sweetheart that actually did attack over a dozen boats in the 70s. But didn't kill anyone.

In any case, the cgi is decent, and the croc does attack like a real one, rushing up from ambush to take people at the water's edge and vanishing underwater with his prey in a moment. In fact the first death was like that. You never even saw it. One moment a character is standing in the water and the camera moves to the others. Then there is a splash, the camera moves back, and there is just some ripples in the water where the man was standing.

The real strength of the movie are the characters, and their interactions. Once the pressure is on they act like real people would. Which is to say they panic and do stupid things in the heat of the moment. They also come up with some rather creative ideas to save their skins.

Radha Mitchell stars, and as always does an excellent job. She has been one of my favorite actresses ever since I first saw her in Pitch Black, and has always been one of the front-runners in my imagination for casting as Teresa. Sam Worthington has a small part. This was before he got famous. He plays an boatmaster hick, and does a good job. Probably because it does not require any actual acting on his part.

The other real strength of the film is the Outback itself. It was filmed in some of the remotest parts of the Northern Territories, and the landscape is just breath-taking.

All in all, one of my favorite films.

The thing I liked about the 2005 Pride & Prejudice was how dirty and real everything looked. I’m afraid that whenever I see Donald Sutherland I have a “Look, there’s Donald Sutherland“ moment, so it really takes me out of the scene. For me Colin Firth is Darcy, so good luck everyone else in the world with that role! I will always recommend the 1995 version as a good use of time.

I preferred the 1999 Mansfield Park with Frances O'Connor, but I always like to watch multiple versions. I know I watched the one with Billie Piper, but I don’t remember it as well. I think the characters were portrayed as more youthful in that version, if that makes sense.

You are right about the newer P&P. It does make it much more clear that the Bennets are definitely lower upper class. Especially the one scene where the father is helping herd the pig around in the mud. That underscores the importance of the daughters all finding well-off husbands. It was not just a matter of greed, but survival.

I am the same way with Donald Sutherland. OTOH, since I like him, I do not mind that I see the actor rather than the part he is supposed to play. He has a great voice, and always looks like a psychopath, even when he is playing a nice guy like my Mr. Bennet.


Last night I finished watching the Scarlet Pimpernel episodes/movies from 1999, starring Richard E Grant. Tons of fun. Richard Grant was perfect for the role, and is just a joy to watch strutting his stuff (and shooting off his mouth). The series is filled with co-stars, including Elizabeth McGovern as Mrs. Pimpernel, who makes an excellent opposite to R.E. Grant. Also very pleasantly surprising was seeing Jamie Bamber in the first episode, and Gaius Baltar (I forget the actors name) in the third. Not to mention Julie Cox, whom I have had a crush on since she played Princes Irulan in the Sci-Fi Channel Dune/Children of Dune movies.

I got round to watching Pan's Labyrinth yesterday, now there is a very good film, I'd say among the best I've seen. It's a eerie mixture of fantasy and reality half set in facist 1944 Spain and half in this strange fantasy world. How much is real and how much is imagination is never really made clear. It also has a fantastic dark atmosphere which bridges the real and unreal and adds to the contrasting brutalities of each.

Given how much I enjoyed it it's hardly surprising that it's rather grim. Certianly one to watch though.

Heck of a good film, it brings a whole new meaning to 'Hand-eye co-ordination'

I just watched something that made me shat my pants (metaphorically, of course). And that's saying something because normally, I ain't afraid of horror movies.

The movie is of Thailand origin (I guess) and, although I don't know the original name, was titled Ningen Ramen (人間　ラーメン) in Japan. WHICH BASICALLY MEANS HUMAN NOODLES.

The intro was sick as hamster. It involves a butcher chopping down intestines (guess where they came from) and still alive human that was HOOKED, HOOKED I TELL YOU, from his stomach and dangling over a large pot that was full of (seemingly) hot water. You can guess the rest.

And BAM, the scene cuts back from the present, and guess what. A bloodied male is lay sprawled against the floor, and theres a deranged woman innocently HAMMERING AWAY AT NAILS THAT WAS IMPALED ON HIS FINGERTIPS AND THE FINAL TOUCH INVOLVES DISMEMBERING HIS LEG WITH A GOD-FORSAKEN CLEAVER. He dies of course, and a delightful scene was laid before my eyes. His bloody intestines were used as noodles (turns out the deranged female was an owner of a restaurant) and selled to the unsuspecting customers of that particular joint.



The moral of the story, kids, is that you SHOULD NEVER allow your ever-so-innocent friends choose your movies for you. Sorry, but it just wouldn't work for your mind nor your ability to resist puking. Really. Ever.

So yes, that was the movie I was watching. The acting was so-so, the plot I couldn't really grasp, it had me screaming like a little girl whose voice could shatter glasses, teached me the real meaning of Dementia but I would list it as one of the scariest (OK, not scariest but the most appalling and shocking) movies I've ever seen.

So yes. That was the movie I've seen today.

EDIT: Anybody seen the movie 20th Century Boys, yet? If you could somehow understand Japanese, it well worth the watch.

GAAAAAAH!!!! There goes my breakfast !!

*Petra is puking*

Oh, god, that's DISGUSTING! Not in the 'eww' way, either. Like, really and truely horifying. And that was just a summary!

*puking*

Im watching Monty Pythons Life Of Brian I love John Cleese hes my favorite especially in Life Of Brian

Speaking of Monty Python...

If anyone is interested, look up The Meaning of Life's Mr. Creosote (from The Autumn Years segment).

I am not to be held responsible for damages if you fail to provide a bucket. You have been warned.

Senior Pirates Inc. FTW!

I hope misure wasn't over doing it last night?

Shut up!

(It appears you have seen it, but seeing as you're a Monty Python fan, I'm not surprised).

Ze 'are is vere 'igh and ze sauce is vere rrrrich! With Truffles, Arche Vin, Gran' Marnier, Bacon, and Creme.

You know, that actually sounds pretty good!

Yeah and I would have the lot ^^

Punisher: Warzone :3 I love it. Its hilarious!!

I just finished watching an outstanding little movie called Hunter Prey. It is a tiny independent movie, with about 5 actors total. A good example of how the quality of a movie is not based upon the money thrown at. It was made by the same guy who did Batman Dead End

It is a sci-fi movie, filled with more than one excellent twist and turn. Nothing is at first appears, and even when you do figure things out, there is still a rather intricate plan in motion. The main characters think, and in fact the plot is built upon a game of wits between them. Through much of the film I kept wondering why one character did not kill the other even when given opportunities. Then at the end it all became clear, and all made sense. All in all, the plot is just fantastic. A very fun ride.

Perhaps neatest, the voice of the computer is Erin Grey. So a huge fan-girl squee out of me for that!

If anyone hasn't watched the Red Letter Media movie reviews, I highly recommend it. That guy is both hilarious AND insightful.

Oh, and he just released his review of Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. It's long enough to qualify as a feature film on its own, and it will tell you up front and to-the-point everything that made you wonder what had happened to make you stop enjoying the Star Wars films.

WARNING: Do not plan on drinking anything during that time, I take no responsibility for any destroyed keyboards.

For Christmas, I found a "Band of Brothers" box set under our tree, and a collector's edition of "Avatar". I finally had some time (work is slow right now... ... ) to watch them. It was my first viewing of Avatar. Amazing! And I could watch BoB over and over again. The best TV mini-series I have ever seen.

I just saw The American. It was an excellent film. Not an action movie, but rather a very understated - and because of that very intense - drama. The action scenes are few, short, and lethal, just like in real life gunfights. Something that is rather refreshing to see given the plethora of super-action movies in which people dodge bullets by doing cart-wheels or other gymnastics, etc... There is a lot of conflict simmering just under the surface however, something reinforced by the fact that in this movie guns really do kill people. There are many times where you are wondering if someone is going to get killed in the next few seconds. Sometimes they do not, a few times they do. That uncertainty really makes it all so much more powerful.

Clooney is a little odd here, as he plays a laconic assassin, rather than his usual smooth-talking, charismatic Face. But he delivers as a professional killer who has been in the business for too long. He tells you more through what he does not say, rather than what he does.

Yeah, really good film. I dig Clooney in action roles. This showed him in his bada** light. I like that. We usually just see him being cocky. Which is nice, I mean, I like that version of him and all (Love Ocean's), but it's cool to see him doing something different.

Tonight I saw Yesterday is a Lie. A very cool movie, it blends film noir with metaphysics and old-fashioned heartbreak. On the surface it seems to be your basic detective noir movie, except the protagonist is female (which would be enough for me right there). But then it starts digging into some mind-bending science, jungian psychology, and metaphysics as it the main character seems to be losing her grip on reality. But as the story goes on, we begin to see that she is actually seeing past what are mind's have convinced ourselves is reality.

The basic premise here being that the universe does not all fit together into nice neat pieces. We only pretend that it does. That time is not linear, and we experience that in the movie. That people themselves are not distinct, but rather one moving back and forward through the frames of existence, where every decision makes a new parallel universe, or destroys it. It goes on, but I do not want to spoil it all.

It reminded me very much of Pi. Not in the least because it was filmed in black and white. One of the neat touches is that the protagonist is colorbind. This was also a subtle clue that she also sees the world figuratively as well. Thinking that everything is logical, that all the pieces of reality have to fit together nice and neatly.

All in all, a very cool, trippy movie.

I have a lot of trouble watching anything with Clooney in it ... and do not find his face charismatic whatsoever. I think he relies on people thinking it is though, and substitutes that for acting. Eh, what do I know?

To me, I have yet to see him believable in a role since his initial introduction in ... what was it, St. Elsewhere?

Did you see Up In the Air?

A Bronx Tale


@ RagingMudcrab - no, did not see that.

Definitely see that one then. A very different, vulnerable Clooney. Loved it.

I finally saw The Green Hornet. I dug it. It was stupid, but fun. Just what I expected. No complaints really. My standards are low with this sort of thing generally.

Anyone in need of a good laugh should see "Death at a Funeral", while it looks dull and B-Movie at best, I almost laughed so hard that I cried.

I just noticed your emphasis. I did not mean face as in the part of his head, I meant Face as a smooth-talking individual. A term that started with Dirk Benedict from the A-Team.

AHA !!! I see ... er ... the thing is, to me Clooney comes across as glib. He didn't when he first started out, but suddenly he took off in popularity and it was like it went to his head - (imho). I saw a few things he was in AFTER he became popular, and was totally turned off. After that I kind of lost interest in watching a movie if he was in it. I have a short list of actors/actresses that I just drop the movie off my "interested" list if they are in it, Clooney is among the few.

Along those same lines, there are some actors/actresses that I think so highly of that I will watch a movie I may otherwise not have if they are in it. (EXAMPLE: Colin Firth).

did someone say "the new predators" film?!?! Well I must mention it because after watching it yesterday I have decided to rewatch all of the alien, predators and alien vs predators film series. It has it all- a serieal killer, a mercenary...a crazy scavenger and none of those pesky xenomorphs to steal the show from everyones favourite spacemen---the predators!!!

Yes, it was a fun ride. One little thing I noticed however. The characters talk about it being really hot, and even after hours of hiking through the jungle, no one ever gets thirsty.

GAAAAAH !!! Fabio was eliminated from "Top Chef All Stars!"

I guess he'll just have to stick to Toyota commercials. I haven't seen that show, but I will admit that the future Mrs. OtherRick has gotten me hooked on Hell's Kitchen, Chopped, and The Next Iron Chef...probably just another sign of my testosterone levels dropping with age...LOL

Wrong Fabio, lol. This is the Fabio I am referring to:


http://www.bravotv.com/media/images/persons/Fabio_full.png

Oh....my bad! Good thing though...I was trying to picture the Fabio that I referred to with a hair net!

Oh, god... another one bites the dust.

Why is it people find it so entertaining to watch some British Celeb. Chef (who is actually not that big an (censored) in the real world) scream at people for 45 minutes and pretend to be the world's biggest (censored)bag? I jumped ship at season 4 because nothing new ever happened, and because the novelty of the show wore off for me at that point.

If you want true-to-life Gordon Ramsay, go watch Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (NOT the American version, that one is utter crud).

EDIT: Auto-Censor gave me British Boat.

I ahve actually watched that on BBC America....good show

A funny old vampire movie - Eddie Murphy's "A Vampire in Brooklyn" Best line:

"There's a new vampire in town, and his name is Julius Jones...ha ha ha."

We recently dropped all of our premium cable channels in a move to cut expenses. Work has been slow To replace them, we signed up for Netflix. It turns out that by connecting our Wii to the internet, we can download movies and TV shows directly to our television.

Since doing this, the fee-on-say and I have started watching a Showtime production called "Dexter". What a bizzare, interesting, and well written/acted show! We are hooked and have been having two episode dinners at the coffee table.

By the way, I definitely recommend Netflix

Heh, we go a step further than that and just don't have a TV to avoid the licence (for those across the pond most European countries require you to licence a TV and it ain't cheap). Frankly I don't see the point, there's so little on TV I want to watch except films and it's cheaper to buy second-hand DVDs and get what I want to see and watch it on a big computer monitor.

A good Scottish film I saw recently was Neds, about someone growing up on a Glasgow scheme in the 70s (not that things have changed much). Quite dark but fairly accurite in it's portreyal.

I have had Netflix for years, and love it. It is really amazing what movies they have. Like your Wii, my blu-ray player has internet access, so I can stream movies to it. But the quality is very iffy. Sometimes it is in perfect HD, other times it is grainy, and might just stop for half a minute while it thinks about whether or not it wants to show any more. Still, I often use the Instant Viewing as a way to preview movies to see if they are any good, then get them on dvd or blu-ray to watch the entire thing.

As far as cable tv goes, I only have the bare minimum basic broadcast channels, and I never even watch those. The only reason I bother with it is that it costs me $15, but if I don't have the tv service, my internet costs me $20 more (I get my tv and internet from the same company). If I like a tv show, I just wait for each season to come out on dvd and get the entire thing from Netflix. Then I can watch the entire season in a few days, and not have to wait a week between episodes or deal with commercials.

I'm a lot like SubRosa, except I don't have Netflix. They don't have closed captioning. I also don't use iTunes for shows or movies either for the same reason. If it doesn't have CC, I pretty much can't watch it and enjoy it.

I use Hulu.com because of all the streaming services, they're the best for CC. Still, they're less than perfect. There's quite a few shows on that don't have CC.

I could live without cable TV/broadcast TV, but I can't live without cable internet (the fastest broadband option in my area). We only have cable TV because my mom is tech-phobic and only wants to watch shows on TV like she always did (and tape to VCR, but with the recent digital conversion and the loss of the VCR remote, she's helpless!).

If there's a show I like, I often wait for the season to come out on DVD, like SubRosa, and buy it (if I can afford it). Most of them do have CC, and it's rare to find one without it.

I rarely turn on the TV for anything but video games - unless I am having trouble sleeping. The only exception is when my son is in a war zone, I spend an inordinate amount of time watching the news (and cursing the idiot newscasters - like Geraldo, who embeds himself with a platoon leading the charge into Bagdad and when told THREE times he is not allowed to give out any information as to their position - tries to draw a map in the sand with a stick to show it).

I cannot state with truth that I don't watch program television. There are several shows that I enjoy. The Closer, Law & Order, House M.D., and my latest fav...The Walking Dead on AMC. My better half got me hooked on the aforementioned cooking shows...and...yes...she even has me watching American Idol. Any Sci-Fi/Fantasy show will get a view from me as well. I have always been a huge Star Trek fan, and always will be. The revamped Battlestar Galactica from SyFy was great, and now that I have Netflix, I plan on watching the entire series again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE

I spewed my Mt Dew...nice call back to the earlier post...

FREDDY !!!

One of the best lead singers in the history of rock. Let us hope he is entertaining the angels with his phenomenal voice in Heaven now.

Yes, and may I do whatever it takes to get where-ever he ends up so I can hear him once more !!!

Dinocroc vs Supergator, is a unique experience. It did *exactly* what it said on the tin and made two hours of a sunday evening disappear in a haze of bad effects and plodding plot. Still it was one of those films which is so bad it's good, and begging to have a drinking game made of it.

Netflix has Dinocroc, which I take is the first installment in the franchise? But no Dinocroc vs. Supergator. Needless to say I saved Dinocroc to my queue. Too bad it is not available yet.

I saw I Am Number Four last night. T'was decent. I found it comparable to Jumper, which I liked. So yeah, it was alright. Easy entertainment. Of course, Timothy Olyphant makes any movie good though. Such intense stares. Murderously angry.