Session 9

Just finished watching session 9, pretty lame I have to say.  Yes, below below par.  I watched it all though… boring.

HORROR!!!

I have aways disliked horror movies.  Horrors, thrillers, gore movies…  they always seemed stupid.  Yeah, Stupid!!  That is the best argument I had come up with.

I remember the first time, the very first time.  Going back home with a friend, we were both like… 9? 10? 11? I don’t know, young!  Going home and closing the curtains and putting Nightmare on Elm Street in the video.  We didn’t get very far into the movie, once the girl shot up to the ceiling spurting blood from her abdomen all over the walls…..we stopped the movie, mutual accord, opened the curtains and went skateboarding.

For some reason I’m on my first horror movie streak at the moment.

I don’t think it is related to my marriage… hummmm…

So:

Saw IV

This one sparked the curiosity.  Thanks to my friend Jorge (who keeps an excellent movie blog) I watched this one and wasn’t totally repulsed.  Having studied a good bit of anatomy and being very interested in the body, the opening scene caught my interest.  Then Jorge explained the premise and it sounded interesting enough to continue watching, and while it wasn’t an amazing movie it was certainly interesting.

Saw V

I think I might have missed out on some of the atmosphere by watching a low quality version online.  But I’m not sure, because the plot didn’t capture me nearly as much as the previous one.  The detail of the tibia splintering… hummmmm, yummy…..

Let the Right One In

This is a good one.  Happens to be non-american (surprise) and it really felt innovative, simple, complex, vague enough to allow imagination to do its thing (which it does better than CGI).  I highly recommend this one.

Session 9

We’ll see, I’m about to watch it… we’ll see we’ll see we’ll see.

Blind Light

“the difference between despair and joy is surprisingly simple

all it is is a change in attitude”

A simple movie.  Simple in the simplicity with which the story is told.  Narration, images, stills.  I enjoyed it for its simplicity, its honesty, its story, and its message.

Recommended

Keith (2008)

Possibly one of the worst movies I have seen in a while.  Ok, that is not very non-violent Bruno.

I was very bored watching this movie.  And frustrated by the way the characters interacted with each other – choosing the path of most conflict.

Not-recommended despite the many good ratings one can find on imdb and other places.

La Femme Nikita

Bad girl gets recycled and converted into a badass killer with feelings.

Not much more to say other than this movie is superb, timeless, highly recommended!!

p.s. features the short appearance of “le nettoyeur” Jean Reno (from “The Professional” 1994)

The Prophecy (1995)

Ahhhhh, Christopher Walken!  Did you know that this guy has been an actor for over 50 years???!!!!

Anyway, he plays the main role which is Gabriel, that’s right, as in “the angel Gabriel”.  This tells the story of a war happening in Heaven.  A war between angels.  The plot is that when God made man some angels became jelous because Man got to have a soul and to be treated all nice so they decided to fight the other angels.  Simple enough.   Now, if only they could have the most evil soul on their side then they would surely win the war!  But wait, a war in Heaven is kind of like a Hell… and Mr Devil (Viggo Mortensen) probably won’t want to be outshined either.

Watch what happens, all in this episode of The Prophecy!!  da da dada (drums)

An enjoyable movie.

Ghost Dog – The Way of the Samurai

Ahhh, Jim Jarmusch, very good and refreshing.  Mafia movie but with the talents of Forrest Whitaker and the guidance of Jim Jarmusch who makes the scenes and characters take a surreal/comical/hauting depth.

I highly recommend this movie.

The Great Debaters

I enjoyed this movie thoroughly.  Denzel Washington’s speeches are delivered with a lot of heartfelt emotion, it is refreshing to see movies that feel heartfelt.

These movies about underdogs (and repressed people underdogs) rising to defeat the supremacy of those who have been ruling for many years always touch my little heart.  And my skeptical bitter side thinks: “we’ll let them win in the movie and we’ll treat them like shit in real life”….  It’s good to know it was based on a real story.

Well delivered performances, Washington and Forrest Whitaker.  I recommend this movie.

The Dark Knight

WOW

Well, here I am in Oakland, on a date with my wife so we decide to go check out this movie which we imagine is going to be awesome!

I’ll tell you, my young interested readers, the best decision I have taken in the past week was taken in that movie theater and it involved standing up from our seats in the middle of the theater and walking all the way to the back row.

The movie was, in my opinion, great.  The acting was really good (especially the Joker) and the whole plot too was great, a complex plot, much fighting and explosions and killings… all those things that are so appealing nowadays.  Halfway through the movie, seated about the same place where we had first sat, some man had a medical emergency… which is not difficult to believe since the action is non-stop for 90% of the movie and, for someone sitting there, the screen occupies nearly the full range of vision.

I left the theater with my body reeling from the roller-coaster ride of sensation that this movie served as a catalyst for.  I think it is a highlight in the present-day movie industry.  It blends violence with plot in a way that can be not too disturbing yet disturbing enough and it does it for 2 hours.  It is not a movie that I appreciate for it sure isn’t a celebration of life, but if you want a well-made violent roller-coaster then I highly recommend it.

Iron Man

I hadn’t watched a movie in quite a while and became curious enough to watch this.

The main actor is definitely good – Robert Downey Jr. – playing the billionaire who develops a suit (which is hopefully stronger than iron) and with that suit he fights the terrorists (which are, of course, arab….. come on american scriptwriters….).

I definitely enjoyed some of the technologies, even some of the special effects, but the story is really quite cheesy and boring (in view of course).

So, it was an uneventful return to movies.