The Zone's 2008 Movie Journal

[Pacino86845]

It might even be possible to have Keepcool retain his top-of-page-2 spot (I'm quite the crafty trickster!!!), but Flumm you were one of the first to reserve a spot... in order for you to get a grey background it might take some more magical doing on my part, and I may ask you to move lower down the list. Will keep you posted once everyone's written stuff down that'll only end up getting deleted...

[stereosforgeeks]

Pacino anyway to just move the discussions back.

[Ribbons]

I still think non-updated journals should be allowed to stay, and it doesn't really have anything to do with my own journal per se, it's just that I can understand people not being "ready" to keep a journal (not because they're dealing with life or whatever, or at least no more than usual, but because the idea doesn't appeal to them or they're trying to figure out how to arrange it, or anything else), but still wanting the option to. Allowing them to maintain a journal for at least a couple of months should they decide they want to is better than forcing them to wait for a new year.

I've never really thought about the idea of real estate in the journal thread until now, but I can understand why people either don't want their own journals getting lost or why having to sift through the many posts, and many long posts, to find your own journal for updating purposes or somebody else's for reading purposes might feel tedious (especially if you've got avs and sigs turned off), but to me I don't think it necessitates taking that option away.

Also, I don't think that's the sort of problem that can be fixed by deleting journals that aren't consistently updated. Some people will still be buried in the middle of a page, and depending on how certain journals are updated (whether there are reviews, but no ratings, or ratings but no reviews, or movies but none of either) and what exactly you're looking for out of other people's journals, then there are probably going to be a lot of them that will be seen as "redundant" by one person or another no matter how consistently they're updated. The density of the thread just is what it is.

[Pacino86845]

Pacino anyway to just move the discussions back.

Sadly, no.

Remember folks, this would just be a one-time thing (heheh, for the 2007 journal I think the only response when I asked was like "Myunno, *shrug*"), and would only affect posts that appear in between journal entries. Everything that comes after the last person to have a journal will be left untouched.

[stereosforgeeks]

Pacino anyway to just move the discussions back.

Sadly, no.

Remember folks, this would just be a one-time thing (heheh, for the 2007 journal I think the only response when I asked was like "Myunno, *shrug*"), and would only affect posts that appear in between journal entries. Everything that comes after the last person to have a journal will be left untouched.

I dont see a problem with it.

[ThisIsTheGirl]

Sounds like you're on top of it Pacino - I have no objections to anything you've said.

Will keep you posted once everyone's written stuff down that'll only end up getting deleted...

Hahahaha - it just occurred to me that everything we've said in here today will eventually be deleted - but I think we're all ok with that.

[junesquad]

So... you will all be deleted? I've updated my movie journal.

[Flash Gordon]

I hereby reserve this spot for my 2018 Movie Journal.

Let's play ball!

[thomasgaffney]

I still think non-updated journals should be allowed to stay

I agree with Ribbons

EDIT-If you hate having to scroll through pages to get to your journal, turn on sigs without pictures and put a link there.

[Lord Voldemoo]

I vote yay on deleting non-journal posts.

I think dormant journals should be left alone...unless somebody hasn't made ANY entries by...say...March or so in which case they lose their spot. They can always take a new spot later if they want to participate then. I don't include EVERYTHING I watch in here, I'm much more likely to update my journal with something that strikes a chord with me, for good for for ill...so i might have time lapses between updates.

[Keepcoolbutcare]

this is what happens when we let Commie Pinko's who are against the very concept of land ownership run the Zone!

[Nordling]

I don't put full-fledged reviews in my journal for space reasons. It's primarily a place for me to list and keep track of what I've seen. If something kicks my ass enough to warrant a review, I'll post it in the appropriate thread (if there is one, and if not, I'll make one).

[Bob Samonkey]

Why dont we have a comment thread. Like the losers lounge for the werewolf thread. Except less losery

[Flumm]

this is what happens when we let Commie Pinko's who are against the very concept of land ownership run the Zone!

We should just have a big milkshake-making machine in the middle of the township anyway, and then instead of watching movies and stuff we can all frolic and play (and fap) in the communal milkshake fountain... TOGETHER.

YAY!


*girly clap*

[Chilli]

Updated with Enchanted. In a word, brilliant.

[junesquad]

My journal has been updated again.

[Vegeta]

So are we debating if the Movie Journal thread should exclude excess commenting? If anything it would be an exercise if people can follow simple directions.

[instant_karma]

Some crap added to mine...

[Keepcoolbutcare]

yo tambien...

[Leckomaniac]

It took me 18 days to see my first movie in the theatres.

Updated to include Cloverfield!

[burlivesleftnut]

It took me 18 days too! I didn't even watch any movies on tv in that time!

[Leckomaniac]

It took me 18 days too! I didn't even watch any movies on tv in that time!

Well, I stayed up all night a few days ago and caught The Substitute 3 starring Treat Williams on digital cable. So...I can't say the same thing.

That's why I don't keep track of the films I watch on the tube or old films I rewatch on DVD...I watch some weird shit.

[Chilli]

Updated with Charlie Wilson's War.

[stereosforgeeks]

Updated with last weeks films.

[Bob Samonkey]

It took me 18 days to see my first movie in the theatres.

Updated to include Cloverfield!

Oh poor you. It has been 6 MONTHS since I have seen a movie in a theater!!!

And the first one I saw was Cloverfield as well...

[instant_karma]

More stuff added to mine. I need a life...

[junesquad]

My movie journal has been updated...

[Chilli]

Updated with Sin City

[Nachokoolaid]

I finally got around to seeing the Bourne Ultimatum. Good flick. That bathroom fight was one of the better choreographed and executed fights that I can recall.

And the driving stunts were great too. I enjoyed it more than the sequel. But I'm still unsure if I like it better than Identity.

[Keepcoolbutcare]

IRIE
Paranoid Park - Dir: Gus Van Sant (7th January)

sharing is caring...

[Chilli]

Updated with I Am Legend.

[junesquad]

Yeah... mine's updated... now with I realized I need a life.

[tangerine]

Paranoid Park - Dir: Gus Van Sant (7th January)

Oh this is on at Prince Charles tonight, should I go?

[Seppuku]

Paranoid Park - Dir: Gus Van Sant (7th January)

Oh this is on at Prince Charles tonight, should I go?

I saw it in Shaftesbury Avenue a couple of weeks back when I was in London.

I've got exactly 30 seconds right now. So I'll quickly say: have you seen Elephant or Last Days? Or Larry Clark's Wassup Rockers? If you liked any of them, you'll probably really get into this film. Lots of glacial shots of teens talking about fast food, skating etc. Which isn't to say it hasn't got a plot or anything.


OK, my 30 seconds are up, gotta jet. I'll come back and talk about the movie later when I've got some time (though you'll probably have decided whether or not to see it by then). For now, I'll just leave you with Moriarty's thoughts on the film to help you decide. The fucker's more eloquent than I would have been, anyway.

[quote="Moriarty"]The more I think about this one, the more amazed I am by it. Gus Van Sant has been working towards this film for the last five years, and with the help of Christopher Doyle, I think he’s finally done it just right.

But what is “itâ€

[Chilli]

Updated with 'Election' bashing. I sense disagreement coming.

[bamf]

Tis time, if I dont start something now, it will soon be August. So without flair and comment, here is 2008 thus far.

January

Primer
Atonement
No Country For Old Men
P.S. I Love You
Lonesome Jim
Cloverfield
27 Dresses
I Am Legend
Dr. Strangelove (AFI screening at the Arclight)
Gone Baby Gone
Dinner Rush

February
The Prime Gig *I like this angle
Definitely, Maybe
Be Kind Rewind
The Hammer


THE HAMMER or I’m Sorry Adam
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

I suffer from a tinge of hero worship from time to time. I find it difficult to divorce my personal feelings from Kevin Smith, which is why I most likely will never write a review for his work. While I do love the content of his stories, I am even more enamored with how he got to where he is today. Smith put it all on the line, went 30k in debt and made the movie he wanted to—14 years later that decision has panned out well. Adam Corolla is another hero of mine. He made the choice to go after something different in his life right around the age of 30. One day he meets Jimmy Kimmel at a boxing club in L.A. Kimmel was doing the sports beat on KROQ in Southern California for the Kevin and Bean show. Jimmy wanted to get Adam on the show, so he told him to create a character for on air bits; Mr. Birchum was born, and a decade later he has his own morning talk show. Brilliant. To say I am a fan of Corolla might be an understatement, I have old loveline shows saved on my computer from when I recorded the show, and I am quite pleased to share the same birthdate with him. Thanks mom and dad. I say this all to you so you might understand why what I will do next pains me so much. I was invited to see a press screening of Adam’s somewhat biopic feature film called The Hammer, and it was god awful.

Jerry Ferro has just turned 40 and he is realizing what a rut his life is in. As a proficient carpenter, Ferro has never been much more than a back for labor, and a mouth for insults. He teaches a boxing class in his off hours, and by happy chance is given an opportunity to try out for the U.S.A. Olympic boxing team which is headed for China, the leading country in human rights and pollution controls*. Will he make it? Does the surly Coach see something in Jerry that can take him all the way to gold? Can a 40 year old man compete with the 20 something youth? Frankly I did not care.

This film does not work because they chose the wrong story for the lead. This should have been a Private Parts like tale. The Jerry character is the antithesis of Rocky, and he consistently shows just how much more powerful his mouth is then his left hand. So when it would seem natural for the movie to progress towards that already biopic rich tale of Corolla, it mires its self in boredom trying to maintain a boxing film. Granted, The Hammer was far better than Play it to the Bone as a boxing movie, but that feels like comparing a physicians two finger rectal exam versus just one. The movie completely misses on its story, so everything else falls apart.
I want to blame the director for the finished product. I thought it was lit poorly, cut with no imagination, and failed to capture any sort of excitement. The training montages were dull and tired. The only real style of the film can be found when Jerry is about to punch a man out. He tells his class that the power punch comes from the legs and hip, not the top half of your shoulder blade. When you get a shot of Ferro’s back foot digging in for the raw power, you know someone is going to hit the canvas. Beyond that, not much else to talk about on a purely aesthetic front. So disappointing.

Yes I have baggage walking into this film. While a devout fan of Adam, I have seen maybe ten minutes of The Man Show. Corolla is always best in a free form arena like radio or improv. That is not to say his acting is weak, it is just a waste of his talents. Reconstituting his rants into a rigid format like this film pays no favors to his glorious Asperger syndrome like abilities. That being said, why should you see this film?

Because I think I’m wrong. Maybe I hold the man to a standard which he cannot meet, however I thought his deleted scene on the Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back dvd was pretty good, all thirty seconds of it. You should see this film because after almost every studio said no to him, he still got the money to make it, and did it all with only a million dollars. Adam doesn’t get a distributor for the film, fine, he gets it released out of his own pocket and rolls the dice once again. After seeing Be kind Rewind I was sort of taken back by what I think Gondries’ message was to the film audiences he loves—anyone can do this. It parlays into something Adam has been saying for some time now and seems completely appropriate in this context. Creating a story for film is not some lofty heady adventure only saved for the elite. Money will get you better production, but the public still wants good story. I want to believe in a YouTube world, where the blogger gets it and the corporations don’t, that there is a certain meritocracy wthat allows such things as The Hammer to happen regularly. I want to see a market here independence doesn’t mean main stream actors taking a pay cut for street cred, or big studios creating a "C" logo that they think will look good in an arthouse.
Please prove me wrong on this one. Stick it to the man, and go see The Hammer if you are in one of the ten cities it is playing in this weekend.
*/sarcasm

Revisits
The Matrix
The Thin Red Line
Pumping Iron

March
52
Donny Darko
The Notebook *gasp
Persepolis

May
Iron Man
Harold and Kumar

[Pacino86845]

Cool that you decided to join bamf... I've been procrastinating on doing some spring cleaning in this thread, but hopefully it will come soon. You might get bumped up to the second page of the thread as a result, but probably not the first page.

[bamf]

Right on! Ahh shiite, just made another dust bunny.

[Bayouwolf]

Updated to include "No country for Old men."

[Nachokoolaid]

Just a reminder that the end of the month is upon us. Don't forget to post your pick for best and worst film you saw in January.

I'll have mine up later.

[burlivesleftnut]

PERFOOM

[Chilli]

Cinema wise:

Best - Enchanted
Worst - Charlie Wilson's War

General

Best - Enchanted
Worst - Election

[Bayouwolf]

Favorite film updated,
Preparing for severe beatings...

(side note, No country for old men was released in the states in November, or it would've been #1)

[stereosforgeeks]

Best Movies (Anything rated 9 or above):
Sud Pralad (Tropical Malady) - 9.5
Sud Sanaeha (Blissfully Yours) - 9.0
Kuroi Ame (Black Rain) - 9.5
Warui Yatsui Hodo Yoku Nemuru (The Bad Sleep Well) - 9.0
Smultronstallet (Wild Strawberries) - 9.0
Sang Sattawat (Syndromes And A Century) - 9.0
Two-Lane Blacktop - 9.0
Yi Yi: A One And A Two - 10
Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages - 9.0
Dokfa Nai Meuman (The Mysterious Object At Noon) - 9.0

Worst Movies (Anything rated below a 5):
Rofuto (Loft) - 3.0
Straightheads - 2.0
Hua Jai Tor Ra Nong (The Adventure Of Iron Pussy) - 4.0

[Nordling]

Best movies: THERE WILL BE BLOOD, KING OF KONG

[DaleTremont]

Following stereos' example...

Best Movies (first-time-seen + 9 or better):

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (10/10)
The Descent (9/10)
Juno (9/10)
Five Easy Pieces (9/10)
Enchanted (9/10)
Witchfinder General (9/10)

Worst:

27 Dresses (3/10)

[Nachokoolaid]

January

BEST:

No Country for Old Men. Simply awesome. I really loved this movie.

WORST:

Spy Hard. Leslie Nielson has done much better. Odd to see Andy Griffith as a bad guy.

[Keepcoolbutcare]

Best-est!

The 39 Steps & Rififi.

Worst-est!

3 Leaf Clover Frolicking in a Fetid Field of Fucktardation.

[stereosforgeeks]

1: I'm genuinely glad you decided to put ratings up, SFG. Not only do I enjoy your musky aroma, but the opinions of other Zoners gives me sustanance where whence I could fine none. So thanks you kindly!

However:

My spot:

Hua Jai Tor Ra Nong (The Adventure Of Iron Pussy) - 4.0

2: ...am I to assume that it's best just to take it for granted that The Adventures of Iron Pussy shall be best lived by existing only as an eye-roll worthy smirk in your Movie Journal?


And thirdly, am I the only who still finds reading other people's Journals strangely entertaining? It may be all so 2007, but when I go to amend mine, I can't help but glance to see who's watching whut, and whether is worth them doing so.


I suppose it's still the thing whether it provokes more film related discussion, or no. I'll say frankly that I typically feel uncomfortable in posting too much at once, or being the person to lead by bumpesque example in any great quantities, but it would be cool to have this thread be a catalyst for something, whether it's here or in other threads.

Film banter, heavy or light, is still one of my my very favourite things in the zone, to passively read, or to participate in.

Perhaps even people copying and pasting a " I gave it so and so in my journal" in the films respective threads and so on, could be worth the while if a few ripples of conversatin' bubble forth.

I actually just saw this post Flumm so apologies for not responding sooner.

I actually had high hopes for Adventures Of Iron Pussy, I mean come on a musical comedy about a transvestite secret agent. Now what about that doesnt spell awesome? Atleast in a cult way. I actually think Weerasethakul is in on the joke as well but that unfortunately does not make the film any more fun. That being said there are some moments where I laughed at the ridiculousness of it all and had fun.

The only real reason to watch this would be for Weerasethakul afficianados as you can see a lot of the themes he developed better use in his other films.

[RaulMonkey]

THERE WILL BE BLOOD didn't reach me 'til Jan. 18th, so it clinches my top spot for the month.

My official worst of the month goes to a short film by local Calgary artist, Ryan McClure Scott, entitled THE LAST SAMOSA, but it was so short (five minutes tops) that I feel repeat viewings are necessary before I condemn it outright. At this point I honestly couldn't tell you what it's about. It's part hand-drawn animation, part stop motion, and part live action/puppetry. One or two of the characters are samosas. It was largely incoherent, and felt too clowny to encourage deeper contemplation.

For the record, later the same evening, I saw another short by Mr. Scott, which I thought was pretty cool. It was called NOISE ASYLUM in the closing credits, but Mr. Scott, who was in attendance, gave it the moniker ASSSSSYLUM. Whatever the title, it was an entrancing look at three young men's adventures wreaking havoc in an abandoned Edmonton building. With slingshots and crowbars in hand, the trio take to inflicting whatever damage they can upon light fixtures, windows and walls. Their decrepit surroundings (ostensibly an old insane asylum, although we never see a straightjacket lying crumpled in a corner or anything else to convince us this is the case) lend a surreal atmosphere to the proceedings, as does the lack of any dialogue and the prominent NOISE-based soundtrack. (My experiences in Calgary's microscopic but ever-growing noise community deserve a thread of their own, but samples from the boys at 403 Noise can be found on their MySpace page here, and on YouTube here.) Rather than aimlessly follow the makeshift demolition crew as they bust up the asylum, the film often captures specific moments from their wanderings and then repeats them in differing combinations, almost musically. The smashing of a window; the flicking of a fire alarm bell; the sudden zooming in on a bit of duct outside on the lawn. It all makes for a highly compelling experience that transcends any concept of a narrative unfolding of events. A very effective rendering of its basic concept--three young men busting the hell out of a condemned property--that one might imagine being merely a FUBAR or JACKASS-esque romp of destruction.

If I withhold final judgement on THE LAST SAMOSA, the worst movie I saw in January becomes D-WAR: DRAGON WARS (a.k.a. SAN FERNANDO VALLEY OF THE ROCKETWORMS.) I rated it "DECENT" instead of "WEAK," but it just barely hangs on in that category by the tips of its fingers. The evil Buraki is a fantastic creation, and I loved the massive battle sequence in downtown L.A. (which acts as a little filmmaking school on what went wrong in TRANSFORMERS.) I wanted to love this movie, but sometimes it felt like it was trying its best to fuck up. The final confrontation between the good and bad Imoogis at the end was incomprehensible, as their dark figures wriggled against the black sky. The human characters were integral parts of the story, but all too often fell into pallid clichés, both in terms of dialogue and portrayal. But damn was that dragon something to look at!