Amph What was the last movie you saw?

but i'm talking another level magical, frank. the whole thing unfurls with such stately majesty.

I can't wait! But I'm gonna have to find it first.

In Bruges (2008)

I really liked this film. Not surprising that it's from the brother of the guy who made The Guard. The humor was great and so were the various character interactions. It was quite dark, but in a good way. Though, it was a little difficult to look at Brendan Gleeson's body after he fell from the tower. Colin Farrell was great in his role, as were the others, but him especially. This movie had a good score, too. Now I really want to see Seven Psychopaths, since same director and all.

Brace for disappointment. McDonagh slips into sophomoric self-indulgence and makes the mistake of thinking that a film can revolve around Colin Farrell.

Even in In Bruges, he's not top-dog, it's more shared with Gleeson, and he's playing against type. Farrell is at his best when supporting a bigger presence, like in Minority Report or Crazy Heart.

Just watched The Dark Knight Rises. One of very few films that I could re-watch on the same night and enjoy it just as much.

Watched The Pianist. Man what an incredibly difficult but powerful film to watch. Yeah Adrian Brody deserved the Oscar that year. There are scenes where he isn't talking at all, and he still has an incredible presence. Maybe not the best movie to watch during the Holidays, but I'm still glad I saw it. Polanski's best film is still Chinatown though.

Rosemary's Baby tops my Polanski chart.

Any Bitter Moon fans out there? Surprised that hasn't got a better reputation.

Morning double feature:

The Jazz Singer and Singin' In the Rain

I'm not usually a fan of musicals but these two do go on the short list of the ones I like.

James Bond Skyfall was the last for me. I thought it good, but it was very from other bond movies.

yup. 1927.

yeah bitter moon is pretty good. i remember the milk boobs part.

Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall. I have the 25th Anniversary performance DVD.

Finally saw Skyfall. I thought it was pretty good, way better than Quantum, but not as good as Casino Royale when it comes to Craig's Bond career IMO.

North by Northwest. It was pretty good, except for some bad acting moments (the taxi driver at the beginning got me) and jarring 1959 special effects. The best part was that it was absolutely dripping with innuendo.

Just watched Batman: Year One

Flight. I suppose it was technically well-acted. But ye gods, what dark subject matter. I do not see why anyone would want to know of it.

You didn't like a film just because it was dark?

i wanted to know of it. and for the most part, it was handled very well. meaning honestly and without a whole lot of heavy-handed moralizing or sentimentality. and wasn't that whole crash sequence great? i almost yelped out loud in the theater!

This Means War

Reese Witherspoon's character is forced by her friend to sign up for a dating site. She ends up vying for the hearts of two CIA agents who are working on an intense mission. It was funny and not entirely predictable, and it made me just stop and watch. Few movies do that to me these days.

How is it? I tried to rent it at Blockbuster but it wasn't even in their database. The comic it's based on is par none, hands down one of THE great origin stories ever conceived. I hope the movie does justice to it.

Alex Cross for the 2nd time. The whole time all I could see was Madea and couldn't take the movie seriously.

what? you went back to make sure it was bad?

Lincoln (2012) -- Gripping. Riveting. Funny. Endearing. The script pulls no punches with the audience's education, and fully expects everyone to follow every obscure reference to this senator and that historical event. Yet the direction is sensitive enough so that, even if you don't follow each and every precise parcel of information, you understand the emotional impact of it, the significance it has for the characters. In a film full of talking heads that's a notable achievement. The score, the lighting, the photography, the performances -- everything works together to convey, very exactly, what the stakes are and why we should care, why we must care, about whatever is being discussed.

It bears many repeat viewings, but on first blush I will praise its cinematography, which is so rich and luminous it's like looking at a Rembrandt or a Caravaggio painting if those gentlemen had lived in the 19th century; and the performances, which are so indelible I will never be able to read about these historical personages again without thinking of them as these actors.