Fight Club (1999) - David Fincher

It's one of those movies that you can watch over and over without getting bored, and spotting new things each time.
It remains one of two Edward Norton films (American History X [1998] - Tony Kaye) that can never be beaten. This, however, is my favourite of the two.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - Don Siegel

I like this film. Always have. Never thought it was about the red threat of communism though until that American Cinema History lesson.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Stolen (2012) - Simon West

Pretty average. It reminded me of a cross between Blue Streak (1999) - Les Mayfield and Taken (2008) - Pierre Morel, but yeah, nothing too special.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure (1994) - Roy Allen Smith

This was no way near the genius of the original, and I don't think the songs helped; they didn't even seem to fit in correctly. What is this?

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Dark Knight (2008) - Christopher Nolan

This isn't a Batman film. This is the Joker's film. Nolan knew it, Heath Ledger knew it, and I think, he may not have liked it, but Christian Bale knew it too. After his death, this film is and will continue to be the legend that Ledger (word play) left behind.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Death Proof (2007) - Quentin Tarantino

This movie had a brilliant first half, and the second half was good for a normal film, but just OK for a Tarantino film. I loved Kurt Russell in it.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Red Dawn (2012) - Dan Bradley

Before you all wonder, all one of you that reads these anyway, I haven't seen the original (1984) - John Milius. I know of it, we have it in work, and I know it's the Soviets rather than the North Koreans that are invading. I liked it, I thought it was very good. It does make me wonder though, what would a British filmmaker have done differently? In our country, I think we wouldn't be allowed to make this movie: calling another nation an enemy and inferring their weapons are to take us out. Just a thought.

 ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

The African Queen (1951) - John Huston

Brilliant. A true romantic classic, with elements of both comedy and action. Not sure why Katherine Hepburn's brother died though. A little more explanation would have been nice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The Kite Runner (2007) - Marc Foster

Not a bad adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's novel. I think there should have been red lights flashing when the Chapter 7 incident (you know the one I mean) occurs in the book and the film. Graphic, but subtly done, more so than in the book.

 ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Pusher (1996) - Nicolas Winding Refn

This was a really good movie. It reminded me so much of a dogme 95 film, just because most of the shots were handheld, and even had Thomas Bo Larsen from Festen (1998) in it, as a druggie.
A brilliant start to Refn's career as a director. I want to watch its sequels.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Victor Fleming

There's a reason it's a classic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) - Sam Raimi

One expects something from Sam Raimi, and no, I'm not talking about a Bruce Campbell cameo, (which this has, by the way).We do get what we want. We do get a good film. The only problem is it's not The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Victor Fleming, nor is it another Evil Dead (1981) - Raimi. Raimi seems to have become over reliant on CGI in recent years, and whether that's the studio (probably Disney doing the same thing they did to Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland [2010]) or himself, it just seems a little lazy.
James Franco wasn't quirky or fun enough to pull off a film set in a magical land, and it made me think how much better the film could have been, if it had been Zach Braff in the lead role. He was way underused, as a flying monkey, but did his best to show off his signature JD-ness, that he does so well.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Drive (2011) - Nicolas Winding Refn

My girlfriend is in love with Ryan Gosling, so I may come off as a bit biased when I say I don't get what the big deal is about this film. I can watch it, yes, but I don't think it's Refn's best film. For me, that would have to be Bronson (2008).

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) - Quentin Tarantino

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) - Quentin Tarantino

I love the first one. I think it's Tarantino's best movie. BEST MOVIE! And that's saying something. But yeah, I love the Japanese film influence. I think for the Vol. 2, it wasn't done enough. It was very underdone, and I think the second one, whilst it would be good as a standalone film, does not do what the first has set it up to do.
I went to a double bill of them both at the local independent cinema, and thought that as it's supposed to be one big massive film, it doesn't really work. So, I'll do another post for Vol. 2, to give it a star rating.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

No Country for Old Men (2007) - Joel and Ethan Coen

This film did not live up to the hype for me. I found myself waiting for Javier Bardem's scenes, and that is purely because they had a bit of action to lighten the film up a bit. A disappointing Western to be honest.
However, I did spot the kid that played Young Earl in My Name is Earl, which was a cool trivia point. (NB Trivia points are imaginary and made up solely for this post. Haters gon' hate.)

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Blue Velvet (1986) - David Lynch

I really enjoyed this film. It made me realise I haven't seen enough David Lynch films.
We watched a short film of his as well (this was in Film Language class) called The Alphabet (1968). The gap of twenty years-ish doesn't seem much when comparing the two, due to the similarities. They're both creepy, but the editing is top notch. However, the differences speak volumes. David Lynch has gone from an 18 year old kid making cartoon/live action mix ups in his bedroom, to becoming one of the most renowned directors of all time, and it shows.
Dennis Hopper's role rivals that of the Joker played by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008) - Christopher Nolan as one of the creepiest, maddest villains of cinema.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Mama (2013) - Andrés Muschietti

Oh my word, this was scarier than I expected. It seems like it should have been released to DVD though, with it seeming a little too much like Insidious (2010) - James Wan, but because of the attention Jessica Chastain has got from her Oscar nomination, they (as in the PEOPLE) released it to cinemas to make a bit more money.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Sliding Doors (1998) - Peter Howitt

A very clever idea. It would have been nice to see a bit more of John Hannah in the long hair storyline, and how his life is different without her, better possibly? Happier definitely at the end? I would love to make a charming little film like this when I am older and finish university.
Also, the little line about his girlfriend aged 8 leaving him for Gary Glitter has a double meaning since the film's release.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Jackie Brown (1997) - Quentin Tarantino

Django Unchained (2012) has got nothing on classic Tarantino.

 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Laura (1944) - Otto Preminger

Gene Tierney is gorgeous, and a typical Hollywood starlet. I don't know if the song by the Scissor Sisters is based on this film, but it seems a bit similar (kind of). I liked this film. And it's nice to see Vincent Price in an earlier role.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) - Tommy Wirkola

It's everything you expect, but with a bum (Pihla Viitala's, to be exact: I rate it a ten). It was an OK film, not tricky to understand, full of cheese, but with way too much sexual tension between the brother and sister, possibly more than the characters in Stoker (2013) - Chan-wook Park from the previous night's film. Other than that little tad of creepiness, it was a pretty OK movie.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Stoker (2013) - Chan-wook Park

It was better than I expected, and no less brilliant than Park's foreign language films. It was absolutely brilliant, and whilst some parts would seem wrong and offensive to some, I feel that they were done tastefully.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★