Movie Marathon

May 1, 2009

May 1, Labor Day, Holiday = stayed at home and had an EPIC movie marathon:

Evil Dead 2 - Much more entertaining than the first. Bruce Campbell is clearly more seasoned and feels more comfortable to watch here. Nice blend of comedy, gore and horror with more polished effects. That hand-having-a-life-of-its-own schtick was full of win. Groovy. 7/10

Army of Darkness - I actually saw this around a decade ago and remember loving it a lot. Now that I’ve seen the first two parts, the premise of it all seems a tad bit ridiculous, but it’s still all great comedic fun… even if it’s a bit slapstick much. Emebth Davis is the hottest chick to have been featured in any of the three films. 6/10

What’s Up Tiger Lily? - Woody Allen’s directorial debut, though not “proper film”… It’s a japanese spy film ala-007 dubbed with english dialogue that devolves the plot to the search for an egg salad recepie. Haha. A novel idea at the time, I bet. Quite crazy and silly. Intermittently hilarious and corny. 4/10

Chinatown - Nothing exceptionally special about it for the most part, but way everything comes together and wraps up is intense. The story is engaging although a bit sophisticated for my sensibilities. Nicholson and Dunaway turn in charming performances. 7/10

Fargo - Wow. Great story, excellent ensemble and very well directed. Solid and steady throughout. Everything was just right. Can’t belive I put off watching this for the longest time. The only thing that’s stopping me from saying it’s perfect is that it doesn’t really evoke any strong emotion or overwhelming reaction from me. It’s just a great thing to watch. Yeah? … Yah! 9/10

Requiem For A Dream - Intense, yet heavy-handed with mesmerizing visuals - as are most Aronofsky films. The way how the characters gradually degrade throughout the film is compelling. Mansell’s musical score pwns. 8/10

Blade Runner - Even though the film is as old as I am, I was amazed at the visuals. Definitely one of the most visually captivating films I’ve ever seen. The whole futuristic environment was beautifully constructed, and I loved the low-key lighting combined with the smokey atmosphere. Synthy sounds reminded me of Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” for the most part. The plot was good; but not mindblowing, maybe because it isn’t new to me. There were a lot of parallelisms to Battlestar Galactica (2004), which I loved. But that part at the end where Batty saves Deckard was a great touch with regards to the story and characters, imho. 8.5/10