With the 426th pick DVD-eh? selects in the foreign category, from japan:
Death note
A live action movie based on the manga and anime series by the same name.
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Originally Posted by wikipedia
The series is about Light Yagami, a young man who resents the crime and corruption in the world. His life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the "Death Note", lying on the ground. The Death Note's instructions claim that if a human's name is written within it, that person shall die. Light is initially skeptical of the notebook's authenticity, but after experimenting with it, Light realizes that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the previous owner of the Death Note, a shinigami named Ryuk, Light seeks to become "the God of the New World" by passing his judgement on those he deems to be evil or who get in his way.
Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention of the international police organization and a mysterious detective known only as "L". L quickly learns that the serial killer, dubbed by the public as "Kira", is located in Japan. L also concludes that Kira can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a game of psychological cat and mouse between the two begins.
trailer
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Thank you for not discussing the outside world
Sorry Windom, I know you told me you had your eye on this one, and then you told me you didn't, so with the added wildcards I didn't know what you had in mind...
With my latest pick, I would like to take Total Recall in the wildcard. I will do a write-up tomorrow, but suffice it to say, that this is one of my favorite movies of all time, as it manages to have an interesting idea, yet remain cheesy since it was made in the 1980s!
With my first Wildcard pick, because I'm in the Halloween mood, Team MissTeeks selects Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow.
I love this movie, it's one of my favorite Tim Burton flicks. I have to watch it every Halloween. It has such a creepy and dark feel to it and Christopher Walken is extremely frightening with his filed down teeth and without saying a word. The sets are wonderful, very creepy and it has a great cast. Johnny Depp is great as the twitchy Ichabod Crane and the somewhat cheesey decapitation scenes are always entertaining.
Synopsis:
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1799: Ichabod Crane is a constable from New York who is most concerned with all the new scientific gadgets that will allow him to do his job better. However, he is quite squeamish about his latest assignment: traveling to the town of Sleepy Hollow, where there have been a series of murders involving people whose heads have been cut off. The locals believe it is the work of the legendary Headless Horseman. Ichabod does not believe this, but with the help of the fair Katrina Van Tassel and the young son of one of the victims, he uncovers some very interesting evidence that would suggest otherwise.
I always found the opening scene to be the scariest part
Arrival in Sleepy Hollow
This is the best Johnny Depp scene
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The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
Well, I have to say that I have had a really tough time trying to decide on my final genre pick. In addition to waffling over a few other possibilities, I have been wanting to include a film made within the last couple of years and had a choice that fit nicely, but perhaps now that we have the extra wildcard slots I will drop that film there and go with this one, which in all truth I just thought of last night (and indeed, I think it will prove the most recently released movie on my roster):
In the Thriller category, Team Clint Eastwood selects American Psycho (2000).
"There is a moment of sheer panic when I realize that Paul's apartment overlooks the Park - and is obviously more expensive than mine."
This movie is a very competent and well-executed adaptation of the controversial (and indeed, much more gratuitous) novel by Bret Easton Ellis, directed - suitably enough IMO - by a woman, Mary Harron. It features a starmaking performance by Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, the title character - a well-schooled, materialistic homicidal Wall Street suit who fears his "nightly bloodlust" may invade his daily lifestyle. Harron does a fantastic job of authentically translating some of the more entertaining passages from the book to the screen; a sequence where Bateman and his colleagues compare their business cards (see clip at the end!), for example, is hilarious, ominously lit and scored with dark tones, while Bale's character struggles to maintain his composure as he obsesses over a coworker's card. The cast is great, and the film is a darkly amusing, macabre satire that is set in the 1980s, but equally relevant - if not moreso - today.
I'll stop short of getting into a thorough analysis of the content of this story - there is a lot that could be discussed and I feel that there are several ways that the material can be interpreted. Does Bateman kill because of his jealousy and competitiveness, or is he morally bankrupt and empty? Does he even kill at all? Is the story misogynistic or is the approach to women in American Psycho a reflection of the homsexual subtext of Ellis' novel? Harron downplays on the content of the latter - and omits entirely the most gruesome parts from the book that involve female characters, for obvious reasons - and I continue to wonder how this differently this film would have been received in the hands of a male director (*edit* - evidently David Cronenberg was to direct at one point, with Brad Pitt starring... very interesting).
The thing that most fascinates me about this movie is the dichotomy it creates between the comforts of Bateman's daily routines - his morning rituals, exercise regimens, spa schedule - and the horrors of the violent acts he engages in. Patrick Bateman is simultaneously the good and the bad guy of the story - and Bale does a mesmerizing job of creating a character that we can sympathize with in either role; in the end, the question is - is he the victim?
Mary Harron's great achievement as the director here, IMO, is that she does such a fine job of making the transition between the novel and the screen seem so effortless and natural; the pages seem to come alive and Harron wonderfully captures the twisted spirit of Ellis' book. This movie is not notable for any virtuoso camerawork or excessive artistic stylization; the thrust of it comes from subtle cues and most of all, from Christian Bale's superb performance. Lots to like here - American Psycho is one of my favorites.
Last edited by Got Miikka?; 10-30-2008 at 11:06 AM.
The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
Sleepy Hollow is the only Burton movie I really like.
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
In the Thriller category, Team Clint Eastwood selects American Psycho
Though I really enjoyed Christian Bale's performance I ddin't think the movie itself was all that great. There were way too many little nuances that the character has in the book that were missed in the movie.
I'm not ot a Burton fanatic either but I also liked Edward Scissorhands & Beetlejuice. Alice in Wonderland should be good too.
Duh, Beetlejuice. Classic. Forgot about that one.
One of Michael Keaton's better performances.
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
IJAFW is pleased to pick from our personal favourites collection, representing our first wild card pick,
KELLY'S HEROES (1970)
This is an offbeat war romp starring, among others, one of my favs, Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, and Donald Sutherland as the oddest soldier ever to serve in WW2, the aptly named "Oddball". It's directed by Brian Hutton who also directed another member of my team, "Where Eagles Dare". Fun film.
I'm not ot a Burton fanatic either but I also liked Edward Scissorhands & Beetlejuice. Alice in Wonderland should be good too.
I was so excited this week when they announced they had cast Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar.
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The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
