mrbisco Reviews

Ran (1985)

Man oh man oh man...

[9/10 · 25 April 2003]

Some movies are f'd up...like Memento.

And other movies are F'D up...like Se7en.

And then there's Ran...

This movie is seriously messed up. I believe it is based on King Lear, which I never read. An awesome film. But you just watch it and wonder at how one simple act can lead to so much misery.

The Searchers (1956)

Not a waste of 2 hours

[8/10 · 5 April 2003]

I liked this film.

I gave it an 8.

It was definitely entertaining. Wayne's character was very complex. There are all sorts of obstacles to be overcome on the way to the typical Hollywood happy ending, I can not say I expected the turns it took.

Because of this...it gets that 8 up there.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

I prefer the show...

[5/10 · 3 April 2003]

I find it really difficult to sit thru the Python films. They seem to be just a bunch of sketches thrown together using the same core of characters.

They do have funny bits, but I think I prefer the tv show.

Anyway, this movie is short, thankfully. I think my favorite bit is when they come upon the enchanter and Lancelot (Cleese playing the enchanter) is not with them, then they fight the bunny and run away and Lancelot has appeared and the enchanter is gone.

The African Queen (1951)

A cute lil film

[8/10 · 2 April 2003]

I had no idea what this film was about going in...a romantic comedy was furthest from my mind.

I thought it would be more Apocalypse Now then what it is. Just goes to show...don't judge a book by it's cover.

It really is a lightweight film. Very cute.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

IS THIS YOUR HOMEWORK?

[7/10 · 14 March 2003]

A very very funny film.

If you want some laughs, I highly recommend it. Please take this bit of advice: don't expect everything to get tied up neatly. Just enjoy the time you spend watching the film. I was very upset at the films close because of lack of closure. There is so much buildup that I expected something really grand as a climax.

There isn't really a climax..unless you count The Dude knocking Maude up.

Things do get basically tied up, but not everything, and not very satisfactorily...did I spell that right? No matter. I gave the film a 9...until it ended and dropped that to a 7 due to my dissatisfaction.

Life of Brian (1979)

A funny film, but...

[7/10 · 10 March 2003]

I think Monty Python is great. I don't think their films are wonderful, tho. Their humor seems to work better in sketches. When they tie a long story together by a bunch of little skits I find myself getting bored.

My favorite part of the movie is when Brian falls from a building and lands in a passing spaceship. It makes no sense whatsoever but was so startling that I was very amused.

I gave the film a 7. That's a decent grade, I think. 5 being average and all.

Citizen Kane (1941)

One of the greatest? Naaaaaaaaw...

[9/10 · 10 March 2003]

It's universally regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Maybe it was when it first came out, but no longer, in my opinion.

I do think it is a very good film so I gave it an 8. It did not make me feel good, so I can't go any higher than an 8. I didn't really like the movie. I enjoyed watching it...but can't say I like it. I don't see myself buying a copy for my collection.

Modern Times (1936)

My favorite Chaplin...

[9/10 · 10 March 2003]

As my title states, this is my favorite Chaplin film. Not that I have a ton to draw from, but still the one I've enjoyed the most.

Watching him dance was quite a treat. He can sing, too. Very talented guy, this Chaplin.

If you are curious about his films, start here. It's no surprise that this is his highest rated film on this site.

City Lights (1931)

My friend!!

[8/10 · 10 March 2003]

A cute flick. I can't say I highly recommend it. It's got it's chuckles. It's got sweetness. It's got bits that make you scratch yer head and go..HUH?

All in all, a good film for it's time period. I still prefer Buster Keaton.

Touch of Evil (1958)

Orson Welles got fat

[7/10 · 1 March 2003]

Really interesting film, but I gave it a 7. I don't think I liked it a lot. I respect it, tho. Funny that.

Kinda surprised to find drug trafficing such a major element in a 1958 film. I don't think it happened much.

I usually don't like Heston, but I did in this role.

I guess I just have very little to say about it.

High Noon (1952)

True to life

[8/10 · 28 February 2003]

Just like in real life, most people are cowards. I like short films, especially real time ones. This one is 86 mins long, and Takes place in roughly 100 mins. That's pretty cool, if you ask me.

Grace Kelly was seriously beautiful.

I gave the movie an 8. So I liked it. Don't really have a ton to say about it. Someone else has posted spoilers so I wish you have a great day!

The Gold Rush (1925)

Shrug

[5/10 · 26 February 2003]

This was my first Chaplin film and I'm not terribly impressed. I can see why he is so popular as his character (the tramp) is definitely memorable.

The movie has a few good bits, but altogether it doesn't really hold up to a Buster Keaton film. This movie is 72 mins. long and I kept pausing it cuz I was bored.

The bread roll dance (later done by Johnny Depp in Benny & Joon) was fairly clever, and I'd have to say that was the high point of the film for me.

I gave it a 5. Average film. I am not going to rank it lower because something tells me not to.

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Words can't really do it justice

[10/10 · 25 February 2003]

I just sat down and watched this film. I watched the newly released director's cut. Oh man...it's so good.

I don't think you can really explain this film. You just sorta have to see it. It's just a wonderful film.

It runs the gamut of human emotion, or a good portion of them. It is real. It is happy. It is sad. I really want you to watch it. That's basically it. I WANT YOU TO WATCH THIS FILM. Come to your own conclusions about it, but do see it.

Find the time. Watch this film.

Trainspotting (1996)

You can see Ewan's weewee

[6/10 · 24 February 2003]

The fun thing about these comments is most things have been said before, so I chose that above. :)

If I remember correctly, you get to see two penises in this flick. That's kind of a lot, I think. The average number of penises per movie is pretty close to zero, so two is a bunch. Do the penises have anything to do with the movie? NO! Do they add anything to it? Um...that depends on whether you like seeing them in movies.

As for the movie...I hated it the first time I saw it. It was just too much. I had been recently watching a friends brother deal with heroin addiction and this didn't help matters any.

I just saw it again and I liked it more this time. I don't really recommend the film unless you want to get an idea of the life of a drug addict. If you just want to be entertained there are zillions of other things to watch.

On the whole, I would say the acting is good. Outside of content, I do think it is a good film. But you can't truly judge a film based on that alone. I gave it a 6. 5 is an average film, anything over five is, of course, better than average. To get to a 7 I feel it needs to be something I would recommend. 8 or higher is a very good film.

later...

The Right Stuff (1983)

Was this a movie about Astronauts or about slamming Chuck Yeager?

[7/10 · 23 February 2003]

There were parts of this film I enjoyed, but I found myself puzzled about the Chuck Yeager stuff.

They spend half the film building him up. Then they make him out to be a little less then that by having him not volunteer for the space program. Then when Cooper is interviewed he is about to name Yeager as the greatest pilot he's seen, then names himself.

Finally the film finishes with Yeager experiencing a spectacular failure and Cooper a success.

Just a little odd, I felt. I gave it a 6 due to a few great scenes. I do not recommend the film, tho. It's over three hours long and kinda poofs out in the final act. Actually, it never really gets going, it just sorta plods along. Not that it's boring, it's just didn't seem to have 'IT'.

The Player (1992)

Very satisfying

[10/10 · 16 February 2003]

I really like Tim Robbins. I really like this film.

I especially like the references to old films. Most notably to M.

I'm not gonna go on and on, I do recommend seeing this film. Before you see it, I recommend seeing Sunset Blvd and M.

Sherlock Jr. (1924)

Buster was the man

[9/10 · 14 February 2003]

Buster Keaton is absolutely brilliant. I've now seen 4 of his films/short films and am amazed by his work. He was doing stuff that was way ahead of his time. That plus his stunt work make the films worth seeing.

For example, in this film, there is a bit where he doubles up on-screen by merging film of him sleeping with film of him standing up and moving around. It creates a ghost like image that works very well. This effect has been seen many times since, and I imagine this is one of the first usages.

For stunts the guy was just insane. One stunt involves a bike riding over a bridge with a gap in the middle. Two trucks converge on each other below the gap as the bike soars by and uses there roofs to cover the gap. This happens very quickly and I can only imagine they sped up the film to make it look good, but it's still great looking.

There is another scene where he is on a roof, I believe it's about 25 feet up and he needs to get down so he grabs hold of one of those things that stop traffic from crossing train tracks..yeah, you know the ones..they go up and come down in a 90 degree arc. So it's up, he grabs it and rides it as it arcs down and he lands in a car as it drives off.

Go Buster!

Vampire Hunter D (1985)

Talk to the hand!!!

[6/10 · 5 February 2003]

My roomie is way into Anime and I'd never seen this so we sat down and watched it the other night.

This is a mid-80s anime. It looks it, too. The animation isn't all that great and the art is pretty tame. It looks very typical mid-80s anime. In other words, like much of the other stuff from that time.

I really enjoyed how it captured the feel of some of the 60s and 70s vampire films. The only name I can really come up with right now is Fearless Vampire Killers. It has that bleak, desolate feel to it. Music is great, too.

The General (1926)

I like this guy...

[10/10 · 5 February 2003]

I'd never seen a Buster Keaton film before tonite. Now that I have, I want to see more.

All sorts of raves about The General. I was astounded by how well it held my attention. I was expecting this to be a clock watcher, but it wasn't at all. Fast paced with a lot of great gags.

On the DVD were also two featurettes. The Playhouse really stood out to me. Especially the dream he has in the beginning where he plays every character and often he will be on screen two or more times. At first I didn't notice that it was him and then it dawned on me and I began looking for the telltale line in the center of the screen and couldn't find it.

For the time this was put out, I think this is extraordinarily well done.

Go Buster!!

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Real men

[10/10 · 23 January 2003]

I think this should top the Top 250 Movies list. Some things that stand out to me: (I do realize this is based on the book and is true to the book, for the most part, but it is still a movie)

There is no mention of God or any sort of God. This is wonderfully refreshing.

The men all display real emotions and real feelings. They treat each other humanely. This is a far cry from modern day America.

Everyone who worked on the film put their heart and soul into it and the movie shines with that effort. This movie just exudes love.

This is a movie of hope. There are such great quotes to ponder and maybe apply to your life.

Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened. Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

:D

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

A really amazing film about friendship and perseverence.

[8/10 · 23 January 2003]

There is just so much good in this film.

I'm really surprised that it is ranked as highly as it is. I don't agree that it is the second best film of all time. I do think it is an extraordinary movie, tho.

I could go on and on about it, but many other people have already done that. But it is obligatory to say something, isn't it? How about:

You can make this movie very strange by getting lightly buzzed and pretending that Tim Robbin's character is actually Nuke Laloosh from Bull Durham. ;)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Much better than the first

[8/10 · 23 January 2003]

I like this one waaaay more than the first one. This movie is both the sequel and the prequel to the original. That's a neat trick in itself.

For that reason I highly recommend it. Unfortunately, you have to watch the first one, as well. Darn! It makes it worthwhile, tho.

Robert Deniro is particularly effective in his role.

The Godfather (1972)

What is the appeal of grand failure?

[1/10 · 23 January 2003]

I really don't understand people sometimes. Here we have the #1 rated movie on the list. An extremely famous film. A well made film in it's own right. But the story. It's AWFUL.

This is a story about a man how starts off as a fine upstanding citizen, a soldier, no less, and his gradual change into what I can only describe as a Total S**t.

I really did NOT like this movie. I did like it up to a point...once I realized that Michael was not going to overcome his demons.

I really don't feel I should waste any more time on this film, so I won't.