Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Quick and Stale DVD Reviews

Yup - been catching up on movies that people saw ages ago so these will likely only be of use to those with even less free time than me.

Sex and the City: The Movie
"This is sooo long", "I can't believe how bad this is" and "How can this not be over yet?". Those were all phrases uttered by my wife while we watched this piece of shit. Neither of us are fans of the show but rented it for a bit of light fun only to feel as though SJP & Co. owe us two hours of our lives. I pity all women who identify with this garbage. Grade: F

Incredible Hulk
I was given this for Christmas because I like comics. I wasn't even interested in renting it until I became more desperate. I actually didn't mind Norton as Banner, and I do prefer the whole "Banner as Dr.Kimble" type of stories but things went south when they landed in Toronto and Liv Tyler show up. I do like the Hurt for Nolte trade, though. If this is as good as they can do, I think this franchise should be laid to rest. Grade: C

In Bruges
Holy crap did I love this movie. So small, and yet so wonderfully entertaining. Tons of good old black humour (something that is quite rare these days). Colin Farrell didn't bug me at all here, and he and Brendan Gleeson have a great Felix & Oscar vibe. Ralph Fiennes is simultaneously hilarious and menacing. It was just brilliant - and not in the British sense (where they say 'brilliant' about everything) but actual brilliance. I'm really surprised that this didn't land on more year end top 10 lists. Grade: A

The Invisible Agent
Buried on Side B of Disc 2 of the Invisible Man: Legacy Collection is this fun 1942 gem mixing slapstick humour and espionage. Our hero is deep in German territory trying to find the details of a German attack on New York. It's a little matinee film that doesn't waste a moment of its 75 minute running time. Any film with Peter Lorre is worth watching, in my not so humble opinion, although I didn't realize that he was supposed to be Japanese until halfway through the movie. Grade: B+

3 comments:

Erika Frensley said...

I second your review of In Bruges. From the way it was described when it was released, I thought it would be a dark comedy. In Bruges veers from comedy to tragedy in an instant, and you're crying and laughing at the same time (especially Colin Farrell's comments about Bruges near the end). I can't get over it, and can't stop recommending it.

Scott M said...

Thanks for the comment Erika - I agree about the emotions all over the place - I was thrilled to see if get some recognition at the Golden Globes.

Anonymous said...

When we were in Target after Xmas a couple of weeks ago, my gf bought the SEX & THE CITY DVD. (She'd previously seen it on the big screen, which is something she does *maybe* every half-decade ... I mean, even *I* go to the cinema probably a couple of times a year.) I knew better than to say anything, but geez ...

Then again, just last night I willingly watched THE NEANDERTHAL MAN (even waiting patiently through the scratch-induced pauses on the bootleg DVD-R), & this morning I started watching FROM HELL IT CAME (same sort of source, though I hope minus the scratches), so I guess I don't have a high horse to look down from.

(What can I say? I'm an absolute *fiend* for '50s sf, whether good, bad or indifferent. Looking through the directories in the back of Bill Warren's definitive guide to such films, KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES, last night I counted something like 155 that I've seen.)