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glumpy_99
Cinema Addict - 2333 Films Ranked
Member Since: Oct 21, 2010
Location: Australia
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Bio: "The complete filmgoer is open to the movie on the screen, and asks it to work in its own ways for its own purposes. He does not fault one for not being the other, but is grateful for both if they are successful." - Roger Ebert, Review of "Keane" (2004)
Recent Rankings
59 T1 Frankenstein (1994) - Jun 19, 2013
"The seeds of a fine film are here, but Branagh's outrageously excessive and florid directorial tricks (to say the least) work against anything the movie has going for it, particularly De Niro's radically original, deeply moving interpretation of The Monster. Strange, sometimes laughable decisions prevail down the line, especially casting Cleese with comically wonky teeth in an ostensibly straight role, and Branagh's amping up of every emotion to Shakespearean levels of hysteria."
80 T5 Love and Other Drugs (2010) - Jun 18, 2013
"A bit of a puzzler, as a rare film where each and every element works beautifully, but nothing seems to work in tandem (with the exception of Gad's overdone and unnecessary stoner brother, who feels shoe-horned in from another movie). So we have raw emotion, romanticised reality and gross-out humour all pulling in different directions. However, Hathaway's extraordinarily emotive performance shines, and her chemistry with Gyllenhaal is cute and charming. A mixed bag, but well worth seeing."
61 T1 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - Jun 17, 2013
"The "first" Avenger movie starts out so well, with an engaging hero, a well-chosen cast (with Tommy Lee Jones and Weaving especially bringing genuine gravitas to their characters) and a refreshingly different 40s production design (down to Atwell's smouldering Rosalind Russell type). It's a shame that after Evans undergoes the transformation, the movie devolves into a fitfully entertaining, but rather bland, standard issue bang-and-clanker action film, that mostly lands with a thud."
93 T8 Hawaii (1966) - Jun 16, 2013
"Magnificently produced epic tells a fascinating story of the attempts to "civilise" native Hawaiians, while also pondering the darker aspects of religious fanatacism (embodied in a brilliantly stubborn, intense performance from von Sydow). Director Hill beautifully mines absurdist humour from the screenplay, while deftly marrying it to some quite intense tragedy; Andrews is very impressive in an all-out dramatic role and LaGarde in support (in a sole acting performance) [Read Full Review]"
89 T7 Texasville (1990) - Jun 16, 2013
"Fascinating follow-up to PICTURE SHOW reassembling most of the original cast and presenting a tonal flip-side to the events of the original, playing most of the story's incidents this time for light, observational comedy (and in colour!) Bridges and Shepherd are the real stand-outs this time, with Leachman unfortunately neglected; Bottoms' character arc, taken in conjunction with the original, provides the heart and soul, and delivers a knock-out punch by the climax."
88 T7 Arbitrage (2012) - Jun 15, 2013
"Excellent old-school thriller feels like a throwback to the sleek star vehicles of the 80s (which probably still would have starred Gere even back in the day!) and is all the better for it. Consistently tense (and occasionally very darkly funny), and develops its twisty plot against a plausible modern-day backdrop. Gere's portrait of a self-involved, heartless corporate bastard (highlighted by the chilling interplay with Marling as his daughter) may be the performance of his career, and [Read Full Review]"
83 T6 They're a Weird Mob (1966) - Jun 15, 2013
"Utterly charming piece of 60s Australiana, a forerunner of the Barry McKenzie style of 70s film-making, with some very rough edges, but much sweeter and more benign. Flimsy, episodic story is really just an excuse to explore (and mostly celebrate) Australian society of the 60s -- with some sly observations of the plight of the outsider, and the effects of casual "harmless" xenophobia present in all walks of life. Chiari conveys the perfect mix of almost Chaplinesque innocence [Read Full Review]"
31 T1 One Day (2011) - Jun 14, 2013
"Dismal, dreary, wrong-headed romantic drama, with a dire lack of chemistry between its leads; Sturgess is as least passably convincing, though he is stuck with terminally unlikable (and in some cases unfathomable) character, but Hathaway is completely miscast as a Brit, and delivers a shrill, grating performance (with heavy-handed attempts to 'uglify' her in the establishing scenes). The conceit of only seeing 'One Day' of the year in the lives of this couple also presents a major problem, [Read Full Review]"
67 T2 The Soloist (2009) - Jun 11, 2013
"Foxx's well-wrought, expertly executed portrait of mental illness might also be the poster-child for what's wrong with the rest of the movie: everything feels so "correct" and "proficient" that the characters aren't given enough air to breathe, resulting in a dreary, cerebral mood for material that probably would have succeeded with a more broadly emotional treatment. As it is, it attempts poignancy that just isn't there, despite fine performances all round (though Keener is all but wasted)."
77 T4 French Connection II (1975) - Jun 11, 2013
"Excellent cop drama lacks the higher ambitions of the original, but suceeds to a much greater degree thanks mostly to Hackman's sterling performance (especially in the second half) and a screenplay which may bow to the fish-out-of-water convention, but makes Popeye a far more empathic and endearing character. Climactic chase between Hackman and Rey is a real wow, with a wonderful gut punch of a finale."