Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - IMDB #94

Pan's Labyrinth//2006//120 Min.//Color//Fantasy


When I originally watched Pan's Labyrinth (this was my second watch), I had heard it was good, but that's about all I had heard. I thought that it was a kid's adventure film, because of the cover and title. I didn't know that it was subtitled (which didn't make a difference). I still thought it was a kid's adventure film until the moment that a guy gets his face bloodily smashed in by a general.

Fantastic movie. The special effects in this film are spectacular. Guillermo Del Toro is one of the premier special effects directors in the business right now. The costume design, the characters, they're all outstanding and should not be missed.

If you haven't seen this movie, do so. It's a great fantasy adventure for adults. It's touching, it's freaky, it's everything that it should be. Recommended.

9/10 (IMDB has it rated as an 8.5)

Strangers On A Train (1951) - IMDB #110

Strangers On A Train//1951//101 Min.//B&W//Suspense

My theory is that everyone is a potential murderer...

This was a nice surprise. I've seen hundreds of movies, but had never seen an Alfred Hitchcock movie. I figured that I would knock one out of the way before work.

Take note, 21st century directors...this is the way suspense should be handled (I knew there was a reason he was called 'The Master'). The villain, played by Robert Walker, is scary because you actually believe he's as crazy as he is cunning. A charming nutjob with 'mommy and daddy' issues (a recurring theme from Hitchcock movies, I believe)...the scene where he's tailing his 'first victim' is suspense at it's finest. The movie loses a bit of steam in the middle, but then fires right back up for the conclusion, which was great, and must have been 'big budget' at the time.

I'm definitely looking forward to more Hitchcock movies. I would recommend this to anyone looking to see suspense done 'right', as opposed to the movies we see in theaters now (Saw, Hostel, etc.). This is much scarier.

8/10 (IMDB has it rated 8.3 out of 10)

Casablanca (1942) - IMDB #11

Casablanca//1942//102 Min.//B&W//Drama



Hell hath no fury like a man scorned...

Casablanca was a nice surprise for me. I wasn't looking forward to it, mostly because I hadn't heard much about it except that it was one of the all time greats. It doesn't stack up as one of my personal all time greats, but it's definitely worth a watch.

Humphrey Bogart's character is the one that really won me over. Someone who had been hurt by a woman long ago and carried the grudge with him throughout his days. He had several lines that were very funny also, which is a change for most older movies for me. The supporting characters were sufficient, although I wasn't real impressed with Bergman's Ilsa, whose acting just didn't seem up to par with everyone else.

The ending was...expected, but the story was very well written. I would recommend this to movie lovers, if only for Bogart's performance as Rick.

7/10 (IMDB has it rated 8.8 out of 10).

Platoon (1986) - IMDB #143

Platoon//1986//120 Min.//Color//War Dinks & Cheesedicks. This is 'Nam. I have seen Platoon many, many times, so when Shaun said he wanted to knock it off of the list, I was more than eager to sit through it again. War movies are one of my favorite genres, and Platoon is near the top of the list. Everything about this movie is stellar. It deserved, and won Best Picture and Best Director at the 1986 Acadamy Awards (with competition from...Children of a Lesser God, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Mission, and A Room With a View?). It's about a war...not a war with the enemy, but the war within ourselves as human beings. We watch as a 'green' is dropped into the middle of hell on Earth, and is forced to grow up faster in one year than he had his whole life up to the point he got off of the chopper and into the bush. We see a truly scary 'villain' - one who you really believe thinks that what he's doing is just...and if that means killing every single seemingly innocent person in a small village, that's what he'll do. We see all of the other strands, trying to keep the team, and our country, together. The score is excellent. The cinematography is remarkable, even to today's standards. The story is immaculate. The dialogue is believable. The acting is fantastic. The cast is impeccable - Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Depp in an early role, and Dr. Cox from Scrubs...the list never ends. If you haven't seen Platoon yet, see it. Easily recommended. As King says, "Keep your pecker hard and your powder dry, and the world will turn." 10/10 (IMDB rates it an 8.2/10) - Kleeberg

Platoon (1986) - IMDB #143

Platoon//1986//120 Min.//Color//War

"Why are these cheese dicks shooting at me!"

Guns, check. Grenades, check. Violence, double check. This film had it all! Seriously, all sorts of things were getting blown off and killed in this 80's film about Vietnam. Stone himself a vietnam vet, seems to have plucked the violence straight from his memory bank and put it right onto film.

What a great story war can make. What a vivid images war can make. What good film good old Oliver can make. This film won best picture, and deservedly so. At no point during this flick did my eyes want to rest. The story was superb. The acting made my penis hard.

And that's all that really needs to be said about this film. Well done Platoon. Well done.

9/10 (IMDB has it rated 8.2/10)

-Shaun

Taxi Driver (1976) - IMDB #38

Taxi Driver//1976//113 Min.//Color//Drama

Are you talkin' to me, you dangling cherry scented air freshener?

I need that poster in my home theater room.

It's been a while since I've seen Taxi Driver, so I'll just give some bullet points.

* Robert DeNiro was awesome. This sucks for us now, because we know he was one of the greatest actors on the silver screen and now he's doing shitcakes like Righteous Kill (which I actually sat through), the currently filming Little Fockers, and Hide & Seek (this should have been a movie about his talent).

* Jodie Foster instantly brings down any movie that she's in - now. Back then, she was actually not a bad actress.

* Harvey Keitel is badass in...anything.

* Scorsese is one of the all time greatest directors of our time.

* I want Travis Bickle's sunglasses.

This movie is worth watching at least once, because I remember liking it - but it's not one you'll be watching on date night with your broad.

Unless your broad is a teenage prostitute.

7/10 (IMDB has it rated 8.6/10)

Taxi Driver (1976) - IMDB #38

Taxi Driver//1976//113 Min.//Color//Drama

I've never met a mohawk I didn't like

Okay, so I'm late the party. Fashionably late. Yes, I'm one of the few people in America that hasn't seen Taxi Driver. Well, as the saying goes, better late than never.

I liked this film. The acting was top notch, the story was captivating, the directing, as always with good old Scorsese, brilliant. At times the movies pace was as lethargic as a homeless man looking for work, but I get it. The pace was due to the fact Travis was a brutally lonely guy. Being lonely is lethargic.

As far as DeNiro goes, this movie really showed off his true acting talent. Who else could play a mentally ill, lonely, unsociable? A guy completely lost in anonymity. A guy who posses all of the above character flaws, yet he made this guy enjoyable to watch. Then there is Jodie Foster. It's hard to believe that she actually was a 12 year old when this movie was filmed. She really did capture the essence of her character, which at her young age really is an amazing feat. Although, I did laugh every time that she asked Travis if he wanted to 'make it' with her. I'm bringing that phrase back. Just imagine, "Hey, look at those two dogs 'making-it' over there!"

It's funny how this movie was made over 30 years ago and it still resonates today. Violence, prostitution, 'skum'. It's weird to see how a guy like Travis can seem at times so normal, and others just wildly out of his mind. Good for us, because it made for an enjoyable film. While I did enjoy this film, I wouldn't consider it one of the best films I've ever seen. It's a film I'm glad I saw, but I wouldn't watch it again. One roll in the hay is enough for me. Hey, at least I made it to the party.

7/10 (IMDB has it rated 8.6/10)

-Shaun