the last ten films i watched, pt. iii

there’s actually thirteen films here, but some of them are really bad, so whatever.

alice in wonderland – this film was horrendous. the animated version from 1951 is well worth watching, but not this. complete dud.

brooklyn’s finest – an ok film. consistently mediocre. nothing exciting, but nothing particularly terrible. if you really enjoy films with intertwining character arcs, then i’d say this is probably worth a look. otherwise, i wouldn’t really bother.

death at a funeral – i saw the british version from a few years back and it was quite amusing. no really laugh-out-loud moments, but it was enjoyable throughout. i’d recommend it.

the holy mountain – i’m going to get a lot of shit for this, but this movie was just a bunch of wankery. sure, the visuals were stunning and the score was excellent (minus the cheesy 70s porn flutes,) but everything else was just so heavy handed. i mean, i’d recommend seeing it since it is such a cult classic, but it’s not for everyone. you’re probably either going to love it or hate it. the middle ground seems pretty vacant.

hot tub time machine – a stupid mindless comedy, but hell, i’d recommend seeing it. it’s funny. it’s stupid, but it’s funny. with a name like ‘hot tub time machine,’ what else could you expect?

infernal affairs – the original source material for the departed. i’ve always been told that this version is better, so i never bothered watching the departed. but if this is supposed to be better, i don’t plan on watching the departed any time soon. i felt this movie was very sloppy and my reaction to it throughout was the exact opposite of brooklyn’s finest; i loved some parts and hated some others. not to mention the score or the most part is pretty awful. i’m conflicted about this. i guess i’d say it’s worth a look.

the new world – not malick’s best. the thin red line, badlands, days of heaven: all great films. his films are the visual equivalent of ambient music; delicate and slowly churning. the new world, while still having that malickean feel, was a bit underwhelming. overall, i’d recommend it if you’re a malick completionist. otherwise, i would start with one of the previously mentioned films if you want to get a taste of malick at his best.

run lola run – a fair film that i probably won’t ever watch again. interesting to see a movie that mostly takes place in real time, but really, it doesn’t bring much else to the table. i’d say it’s worth a look.

she’s out of my league – american pie meets knocked up, but not as good as either. really, there’s no point in watching this unless you go with your friends to the cinema and there’s nothing else playing. which is why i saw it. dud.

the science of sleep – not sure what to say about this one. it had it’s moments and overall i’d say it’s worth a look, but all i got from it was that charlotte gainsbourg can be cute sometimes.

sympathy for lady vengeance – i have not seen sympathy for mr. vengeance, so i can’t make the comparison. however, it is definitely no oldboy. if you want a nice mystery/action/thriller and have not seen oldboy yet, i’d recommend watching it. if you really enjoy that, then sympathy for lady vengeance is probably worth a look.

waking life – if you are epileptic, avoid this film because the animation would probably give you a seizure. otherwise, if you want to hear people masturbating over their thoughts i’d say this is worth a look. but if you like films that actually have plots, then this is not for you.

where the wild things are – i never read the book, but i guess no one really has since the book doesn’t have any words. that being said, i can’t compare the film to the book, but i’m hoping the book was better since the film wasn’t particularly striking. i guess it’s worth a look if you’re a fan of the book, but i reckon you would have probably already seen this if that was the case.