Michael
Oakville Public Library
Michael's Completed Shelf
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BullittBullitt, DVD
DVD - 2010DVD, 2010
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 30, 2012
Independence DayIndependence Day, DVD
DVD - 2002DVD, 2002
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 25, 2012
The BlobThe Blob, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 25, 2012
The WayThe Way, DVD
DVD - 2011DVD, 2011
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 23, 2012
Comment:
I really liked the notion of pilgrimage that the movie is built-around... and some of the actual scenery enroute was incredible! However, I found the acting to be pretentious, pedantic, and predictable. Sheen is terrible in this movie... and I normally like his work. Mistaking 'anger' for 'hurt', for example, is just one of his miscalculated acting faux pas. And the usually reliable Deborah Unger is just wasted here. ...See THE WAY though, for the actual 'journey' and the terrain it traverses... It's quite remarkable.I really liked the notion of pilgrimage that the movie is built-around... and some of the actual scenery enroute was incredible! However, I found the acting to be pretentious, pedantic, and predictable. Sheen is terrible in this movie... and I…
The DoubleThe Double, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 23, 2012
Comment:
Reminded me a bit of Kevin Costner's early big hit NO WAY OUT, with a similar double-agent theme, but without Costner's credibility. Unfortunately, Richard Gere's lost that testosterone intensity he had in many of his previous movies that made him so popular with both male and female audiences, and doesn't come-off believable here. I just can't buy what the movie's plot demands of its audience - where Gere's character is concerned - anymore than what it asks of us in its unsubstantiated ending.Reminded me a bit of Kevin Costner's early big hit NO WAY OUT, with a similar double-agent theme, but without Costner's credibility. Unfortunately, Richard Gere's lost that testosterone intensity he had in many of his previous movies that made him…
Wide Sargasso SeaWide Sargasso Sea, DVD
DVD - 2008DVD, 2008
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 23, 2012
Comment:
Seek out the original movie - because this one is tame by comparison!
Atlas ShruggedAtlas Shrugged, DVDPart I
DVD - 2011DVD, 2011
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 23, 2012
Comment:
Although it often played like a BATMAN-series film (a little too conveniently manufactured plot) I ended up liking this film for its refreshingly different look at life as we know it today. (Even though its author, the indomitable Ayn Rand, actually wrote the book the movie's based on - in the 50's!) I note the political bent in some of the other comments with bemusement, since Rand wanted that very thing to happen when she wrote her highly charged novels on Individualism. Love it or hate it - you can't deny that it takes a forthright position on where Mankind and Society are heading and argues its position faithful to its 'Objectivism' doctrine. It's more akin to TV serial drama, than big-screen theatre, but still an interesting view.Although it often played like a BATMAN-series film (a little too conveniently manufactured plot) I ended up liking this film for its refreshingly different look at life as we know it today. (Even though its author, the indomitable Ayn Rand, actually…
Blank CityBlank City, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 23, 2012
Comment:
This is a fascinating, introspective look at 'film genre' in the making... from the seminal underground movement "No Wave Cinema" movies of the 70's - many on Super 8 Film... to the more sophisticated 16mm films of the 80's "Cinema of Transgression"! You don't have to be a film-devotee to find this a good 90 minutes of semi-documentary style viewing. (Although it helps to know that such popular stars as Debra Harry [Blondie] and Steve Buscemi got their start, here)!. Some of the flicks shown are rivoting in their own right, and will keep you both amused and entertained. What I found wonderful to note is the claim that - THIS WAS very much the "social media" of its day! Before computers and World Wide Web - you had to come to New York's Lower Eastside if you wanted to see the latest in ground-braking new-wave ideas for 'independent movie-making'... the precursor to today's Indie films - and anything you see on YouTube!This is a fascinating, introspective look at 'film genre' in the making... from the seminal underground movement "No Wave Cinema" movies of the 70's - many on Super 8 Film... to the more sophisticated 16mm films of the 80's "Cinema of…
The Ides of MarchThe Ides of March, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 23, 2012
Comment:
Top flight political-intrigue flick with stylized politico banter going on between major and minor players in the plot. Philip Seymour Hoffman stands out head 'n shoulders above others in his portrayal, while Ryan Gosling, yet again, sleep-walks thru most of his scenes - until the bells go off in his head that he's been tragically played. Then - he finally starts acting... and manages to salvage his credibility in the role - and helps the film make sense, in the end. George Clooney, for once, made me believe in his performance... maybe because he also directed and co-wrote the scripted political 'snake-pit' that is at the heart of this film. And if anyone doesn't buy what happens here - believe me... it happens all the time! Note to voisjoe 1 - "So what do we do now?!"...check out Robert Redford's THE CANDIDATE (1972) if you think this flick's the best political campaign movie out there...Top flight political-intrigue flick with stylized politico banter going on between major and minor players in the plot. Philip Seymour Hoffman stands out head 'n shoulders above others in his portrayal, while Ryan Gosling, yet again, sleep-walks…
Dream HouseDream House, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 23, 2012
BlissBliss, DVD
DVD - 2010? | TurkishDVD, 2010?. Language: Turkish
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 19, 2012
Comment:
Just because this is a 'non-western culture' film, as another reader pointed out - it doesn't mean that we shouldn't apply the same criteria to it - that we'd critique other North American films by... And by those standards - this film is at best, average, and at worst sophomoric in its style, pace, and editing... and that includes its mediocre script. There's some nice cinematography - but that has to do more with the actual scenic topography being shown, than any nuanced camera effect. I did, however, like the deliberate moral dilemma served by the story-line, in stripping bare the cruel hypocrisy found in this country's "ancient moral code". It made the 'eye-for-an-eye justice' meted out in the end, all the more satisfying.Just because this is a 'non-western culture' film, as another reader pointed out - it doesn't mean that we shouldn't apply the same criteria to it - that we'd critique other North American films by... And by those standards - this film is at best,…
Red StateRed State, DVD
DVD - 2011DVD, 2011
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 13, 2012
Comment:
Saw this last year actually - and didn't give it a second bad thought (yeah... it really stinks!) until I just noticed all the rave reviews it's been given on this board. I have to admit I don't see what everyone enjoyed in this flick (Kevin Smith, be damned!) ...It's a very bad Roger Corman imitation (having a young Jack Nicholson in it, might have helped) full of its self-importance, and to be frowned upon for its gratuitous violence. Any 2011 movie that is so desperate as to get an ol' chestnut like Michael Parks ("Bus Riley's Back in Town" -1965) as its resident 'bad guy' - is either pathetically under-budgeted, or its casting director was intellectually challenged and Hollywood-historically naive. p.s. The Christian hate-movement in Tinseltown should lobby for its own Oscars category, judging by the volume of anti-Christian films (like this) streaming out of Hollywood. After dismissing the pithy anti-Christian slant, here, you really have to ask - what's behind it?Saw this last year actually - and didn't give it a second bad thought (yeah... it really stinks!) until I just noticed all the rave reviews it's been given on this board. I have to admit I don't see what everyone enjoyed in this flick (Kevin Smith,…
PotíchePotíche, DVDTrophy wife
DVD - 2011 | FrenchDVD, 2011. Language: French
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 13, 2012
Sympathy for DeliciousSympathy for Delicious, DVD
DVD - 2011DVD, 2011
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 13, 2012
The HourThe Hour, DVD
DVD - 2011DVD, 2011
Added Apr 11, 2012
Comment:
Had a chance to view the Video available here, entitled: "Hugh Gaitskell Press Conference 1956" - and found it immediately informative and quite civil. Were, that our politicians and media-types, to be that polite, today... the world would be a better place, indeed! Oh - and what a pefectly delightful and utterly charming and handsome man, Hugh Gaitskell was! No wonder Lady Fleming was so enamoured!Had a chance to view the Video available here, entitled: "Hugh Gaitskell Press Conference 1956" - and found it immediately informative and quite civil. Were, that our politicians and media-types, to be that polite, today... the world would be a…
Similar Titles (1)
Sword of HonourSword of Honour, DVD
DVD - 2006DVD, 2006
The Mill & The CrossThe Mill & The Cross, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 07, 2012
Comment:
The old expression: "As dull as watching paint dry" couldn't be more fitting than when applied to this monumentally boring opus! Viewing this yawner, was akin to what it might have been like watching the old Dutch Master paint-brush his original masterpiece, THE MILL & THE CROSS majestically attempts to recreate an actual painting to film - including transferring the painting's characters and their lives to a plot - that of Jesus' Crucifixion - and liberally interprets the possible motives behind its Grand Master's creation. It fails equally magnificently in its efforts, because there's no sense of urgency anywhere to be found... no dynamic presence of Christ or any of his Disciples, no plot to speak of, other than the dithering of Michael York as a kind of narrator, and the rambling dissertations of Charlotte Rampling playing Mother Mary. Thus, this movie turns out quite uniquely ignoble in the end - and should be so noted! I thought it would be appropriate viewing for this Easter Holiday. I was wrong!The old expression: "As dull as watching paint dry" couldn't be more fitting than when applied to this monumentally boring opus! Viewing this yawner, was akin to what it might have been like watching the old Dutch Master paint-brush his original…
ColombianaColombiana, DVD
DVD - 2011DVD, 2011
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 07, 2012
Comment:
Slick, highly stylized camera work that almost suffocates you with how close it follows its characters, COLOMBIANA worked for me - despite all the huge holes in its plot and character development. Once you clear those notions of any semblance to reality - you can then enjoy it for what it really is - an action flick of the highest order, peppered with extreme violence and revenge. Zoe Saldana is creepy-credible as the hard-done-by heroine (if you can call her that... she is awfully lethal!) with a supporting cast that adds to, not hinders, the simple cat and mouse plot. It's filled with just enough psychologically mayhem and mire, to make the film's basic premise, plausable. And I really liked the thespian work of Lennie James, as Ross, the FBI's point-man on the case. Unheralded but determined, his acting was admirable and a driving force for any real credibility the move hoped to generate.Slick, highly stylized camera work that almost suffocates you with how close it follows its characters, COLOMBIANA worked for me - despite all the huge holes in its plot and character development. Once you clear those notions of any semblance to…
RobberRobber, DVD
DVD - 2011 | GermanDVD, 2011. Language: German
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 07, 2012
Comment:
A cold, austere, and ultimately boring look at an obsessive-compulsive thief whose existential being, belies his zest for life fulfilment. An 'ordinary' life within civilization as we know it - is not for him. A seemingly ordinary guy... he's climbed one of this world's mountains, and reached its top - he's a world-class champion marathoner! So why then - outside of offering us this unusual dichotomy as the film's interesting premise - is the film so bereft of true emotions - so damn empty of any real human connectivity? It leaves you to think: The robber's either got a death wish - or he secretly wants to be caught... thus belying his lust for ill-gained success, and his inexplicable thrill of danger. P.S. Sorry - but I don't see voisjoe1's comparison... the non-descript actor in this flick's got "nothing" on Paul Newman (COOL HAND LUKE), or Humphrey Bogart (HIGH SIERRA)! Even Ryan O'Neal in THE THIEF WHO CAME TO DINNER ( an ol' stinker-mystery-thief, flick) - is more interesting!A cold, austere, and ultimately boring look at an obsessive-compulsive thief whose existential being, belies his zest for life fulfilment. An 'ordinary' life within civilization as we know it - is not for him. A seemingly ordinary guy... he's…
Real SteelReal Steel, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 03, 2012
I Don't Know How She Does ItI Don't Know How She Does It, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 03, 2012
Comment:
What a candy-floss flop! "I REALLY don't know how she does it"! ...Sarah Jessica Parker, that is... Continuing to make these ridiculous movies, and flaunting them on her willy-nilly fans (mostly SEX AND THE CITY hangers-on) as semi-real-life comedies. She's an investment guru... juggling corporate male politics... marital woes... and private-children's school angst - all with aplomb?... Ahhhh - NO! Despite the movie's best efforts to deliver her unscathed to her adoring SATC audiences, I'm afraid the previously unflappable SJP, comes across as more tattered and torn than ever before. She's all-too-often quite ordinary looking in both her delivery of the part she's playing - and her personal demeanor. - a far cry from the stylish maven she once portrayed in SATC. I think li'l Reese Witherspoon would have knocked this role - right out of the ball-park, if she'd starred in it! But alas... we only have SJP... doing her best to remain relevant in the shark-pool of Hollywood... but failing miserably, here! p.s. Thank gawd for MAD MEN's Christina Hendricks as the all-too-worldly best friend... because the male leads in this piece of Fluff are ALL 'fluffer-nutters' too!What a candy-floss flop! "I REALLY don't know how she does it"! ...Sarah Jessica Parker, that is... Continuing to make these ridiculous movies, and flaunting them on her willy-nilly fans (mostly SEX AND THE CITY hangers-on) as semi-real-life…
CourageousCourageous, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 02, 2012
Comment:
This is a movie ALL fathers should see: Those who have a pretty good feel of what 'Fatherhood' should be, will have their belief-system re-affirmed; and those others, for whom this film was really made, will have a better chance of redeeming themselves in the eyes of their loved ones, after viewing COURAGEOUS! It gets 4 STARS - not because of its artistic or technical merits (because it's pretty simplistic, straight-forward and a bit stilted) but because of the very positive life-notes that it constantly hits, and for the courageous' effort it makes to reach out to segments of our population that have forgotten their purpose as fathers. That re-acurring theme is punctuated for all men - whether they are in or out of marriage - or never married at all. The viewer is reminded of an all-important 'LIfe-message': "Fathers need to provide 'paternal leadership' that is all-too-often missing in today's society". And the Doctrine that is signed by the male characters in this movie, is a good start to engendering the principles of fatherhood in men today, regardless of their marital status.This is a movie ALL fathers should see: Those who have a pretty good feel of what 'Fatherhood' should be, will have their belief-system re-affirmed; and those others, for whom this film was really made, will have a better chance of redeeming…
Daddy LonglegsDaddy Longlegs, DVD
DVD - 2011DVD, 2011
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 02, 2012
Comment:
The nutbar main character of this docudrama - the idiotic father with a death wish for his kids - should have been called-up on charges for child-neglect... if what his real-life sons (the authors of this movie) suggest - actually happened to them - throughout this film! I mean... who does all these things to his children - if not some psychopathic loser? Yeah... I know... it's New York... So what? 'Child abuse' is - CHILD ABUSE - where ever it festers! And while I think it's commendable for his adult kids to kinda work-out their childhood angst, thru' the making of this film, it still doesn't excuse what emotional termoil and suffering their stupid father put them thru' when they were little! Oh... as for the style and technical merits of the movie - I found it all-over-the-place and pedantic... leaving me to wonder once again: Just who the hell is in charge of these dime-a-dozen film festivals that give out awards to mediocre flicks like this - passing them onto unsuspecting audiences as films worthy of any merit? Gawd awful!!!The nutbar main character of this docudrama - the idiotic father with a death wish for his kids - should have been called-up on charges for child-neglect... if what his real-life sons (the authors of this movie) suggest - actually happened to them -…
Twilight SagaTwilight Saga, DVDBreaking Dawn. Part 1
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 02, 2012
Comment:
Ho hum... another boring TWILIGHT movie... I know the series has its avid followers - in a particular age category... but this episodial yawner is such a rip-off flick - that it needs to be said: Boring! Boring!! Boring!!! ...Maybe an added little bit of 21st Century "Rosemary's Baby (with fangs)" might have helped bring some desperately needed viewer-interest to this lame soap-opera... but no such luck, boo hoo!Ho hum... another boring TWILIGHT movie... I know the series has its avid followers - in a particular age category... but this episodial yawner is such a rip-off flick - that it needs to be said: Boring! Boring!! Boring!!! ...Maybe an added little…
Midnight in ParisMidnight in Paris, DVD
DVD - 2011DVD, 2011
Michael's rating:
Added Apr 02, 2012
Comment:
Too bad Woody is too old anymore, to play himself in movies, because his deft personal visual comedic touch is really needed here. His script gives great latitude to all actors to really shine... but no one actually picks up the mantle of Allen's true gift for ironic juxtoposition, leaving the audience to lamely chuckle and snicker at the many well-written opportunities for real laughter. No great guffaws here... instead we get dumbed-down versions of classic 'Woody" from a really dumb Owen Wilson... blissfully wandering around the great city of Paris - looking like he wouldn't know which end is up - if his life depended on it! I loved the abstract young French girl he ultimately walks away with, at the end of the movie. She had a rare glint of eternal hope in her eyes whenever she spoke... otherwise, the rest of the cast's acting was pure hyperbole and affectation. I will say this for Allen's directorial spendor - he captures much of Paris' beauty and magesty - from large magnificent panoramic views - to the cobble-stoned nitty-gritty of side-streets and intricate republican cafes.Too bad Woody is too old anymore, to play himself in movies, because his deft personal visual comedic touch is really needed here. His script gives great latitude to all actors to really shine... but no one actually picks up the mantle of Allen's…
Janie JonesJanie Jones, DVD
DVD - 2011DVD, 2011
Michael's rating:
Added Mar 29, 2012
Comment:
I really, really, enjoyed this movie... from the very realistic life-enachment of a small touring rock band and it's narcissistic star/lead singer... to the by-chance, father-and-daughter reunion - and the significant challenges it puts on their awkward relationship. What's more - the film's musical score, of over 30 original songs expressly written for this movie, is outstanding. Some tunes - hard rock... some lyrical... some whimsical... others like folk ballads - all combine to musically enrich the visual experience and make it that much more relevant. The precocious Abigail Breslin is capable of a lot more 'umph' in her performance - so I'm not really sure what happened here with her on-screen direction; but all-in-all, she delivers a competent portrayal of the some-what shy, introspective budding teenager, who's got music in her blood - just like her wayward dad. The supporting cast makes the whole thing believable, especially Francis Fisher, as the upper-class matron who - although long-suffering with her immature son's dalliances in rock music - still loves him dearly... and is privately pleased to discover she is now a grandmother!I really, really, enjoyed this movie... from the very realistic life-enachment of a small touring rock band and it's narcissistic star/lead singer... to the by-chance, father-and-daughter reunion - and the significant challenges it puts on their…
Comment: