Can't argue with that. Day-Lewis is memorising.

Another for your consideration has to be "The Orphanage". Produced by Guillermo Del Toro, and marketed as this years "Pan's Labyrinth" it a simple ghost story, which is beautifully filmed and really does it's job of creating tension. The surprising thing for me was how frightening I found it without them really having a large body count. It does not come anywhere near the imagination and scope of "Pan's Labyrinth", but still a very chilling movie well worth a watch.

I'm a big girls blouse when it comes to horrors so many of you may not be quite so easily scared.

I started "Beowulf" today... we stopped watching after five minutes. Its realistic 3D animation which always seems to let down - its always the subtle things like the way the hand is holding a cup. I am rambling. Five minutes before the sirens went off telling us we are about to lose 90 minutes of our lives.

Saw "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" - noticed it mentioned here in an earlier post... hope I am not flogging a dead horse with this... but it was a really good film. Really good. The fella who plays Robert Ford... and I am too lazy to do a quick search and say who... and egg on my face if he is a new hot up and coming star... or a rising star over the years... but.. he did a great job. He played the character of Robert Ford the way characters should be played... as if they are real people with quirky little nervous twitches and sad, longing, eyes. I don't know if anyone really knows what I mean.

I also saw "3:10 to Yuma" - it was entertaining.... but I thought the characters were dull. They were actors playing cowboys... which I guess it is what I was saying about the Robert Ford character... the actor WAS Robert Ford... although I really don't know what Robert Ford was like in person... never met him... but I felt like that was who Robert Ford was... rather than an actor playing a guy called Robert Ford who shoots guns. I am too tired to be reasonable with my post... I shall sleep and tell about more stinky folms and more brilliant films... tomorrow.

Oh Hey! We also saw "Hot Fuzz" which is by the same folks that brought us "Shaun of the Dead" (excellent!).... same actors etc etc...

Hot Fuzz is kind of what the North American Spoof movies (you know the ones I am talking about - Scary Movie et al) want to be when they grow up - but they never actually do grow up - and so they are mildly entertaining.. but not really funny.. existing more in a "oh.. thats a not so clever take on another films plot line with silly characters instead".

Well.. Hot Fuzz (and Shaun of the Dead) are the spoof (like) movies that are so wildly detailed and subtle in their parody, that they send you on a brilliant and exciting adventure. Excellent effects and super funny dialog.

Just my opinion... but if you get a chance to see it.... SEE IT!!!

rated R.

I avoid those movies like the plague. I saw Shaun, but the way my friends had built it up, I thought I was supposed to soil myself watching it. I didn't, although it was mildly amusing. Plus I had to watch it with subtitles because the accents were so thick(no, I'm not an Anglophobe, just have poor hearing). I would rather watch the real zombie movies, which usually have a high content of warped humor in them, anyway.

I can dig that Joseph...

The accents were pretty heavy... I had a hard time watching "Layer Cake" for that reason... great movie by the way.... but with every sentence spoken was an ounce of plot line missed as the plot wasn't as easy to predict as say "Rush Hour" (which all stink so bad I cannot believe I mentioned it - so sorry).

Sometimes (if the movie is on DVD..not an AVI file...) I put on the subtitles... which I don't mind reading if it helps me follow the movie..

"Rush Hour" (which all stink so bad I cannot believe I mentioned it - so sorry). - R. S.

Busted!!!! lol

SexyBeast. I could not understand 2 words in that whole movie. Ben Kingsley sounded like he was talking underwater.

...totally busted...

My wife and I are living out of Canada for a couple of years... and we do not have a tv. We watch a lot of DVDs and occasionally whatever T.V series we can get. DVDs are being passed around among friends - so we wind up watching stuff that is pretty bad at times.. but we watch it anyway. The only movie we couldn't handle in the least was Beowulf..

Back to the Movies:

Lars and the Real Girl.
-We really dug this one... a pretty fascinating story about a fella who purchases a life size... um... female companion and believes she is real. Fascinating. Solid acting and really well directed.

Into the Wild
-pretty enjoyable (later) life story of the fella who became educated as he was expected,and while being disillusioned with society, hits the road and becomes a drifter... eventually finding his way to his final destination - Alaska. Based on the true story...

Sweeney Todd
-I liked this one... I am a johnny Depp fan... but, if I was ever to watch it again, I would shut off the sound, and play Black Sabbath records.
If you do like musicals... and enjoy a twisted direction... you might like.

Anyone else seen those?

I find it really odd that someone would need subtitles for a British movie. I would do, being British and all, but I understand every American and Canadian accent I hear. I guess its just a case of exposure. Mind you, saying that I don't understand why people sometimes put subtitles on people that speak English as a second language on tv.

A funny thing happened to me the other day relating to this, I was playing on my xbox 360 game, and you get to speak to people from all around the world. This American kid told me I was Australian and just wouldn't believe me when I told him I was from England.

I think it's because of the Cockney, Harry. I used to watch those old Hammer horror movies and other old Brit flicks, and I understood every word. Even when they were trying to do Cockney. The difference was, they were speaking the "Queen's English" version of those accents. The new movies are doing the real deal(or close to it).

I was gonna rent Sweeney Todd, till I remembered it was a musical. Not into that genre.

Yeah I guess cockney would be a bit difficult to understand, but after a while you get used to it.

Cant stand musicals either. I hate it when I'm watching a film then all of a sudden the actors break into song. My idea of hell is sitting through a full length musical.

On a different note, I saw a great film the other day called into the wild. Based on a true story its about a man who leaves the city to go aot live in the wilderness. Really well acted and written - I guess because its true.

Well, as a genre, I too don't like musicals, but, I really enjoy some musicals like "Singing In The Rain" and "Victor/Victoria" (to name two that I can think of right now). Sure people break out into song at the drop of a hat, but the films are very entertaining, and the songs and dancing are well done. Seeing as how both of those films are comedies, it may be cause to why I like them...

My favourite genre is Horror, but not the slasher junk. More specifically, Asian Horror is my favorite genre... I do enjoy some non-Asian horror films, like I Am Legend, The Others, and Invasion. I don't dig watching films with subtitles, but, the Asian films seem to put more emphasis on atmosphere and building up the experience, then just shocking the viewer with jumps and cheap thrills (and then wrapping everything up with a nice little bow.)

If I do watch a musical, it's usually one where somebody notable was badly miscast. Try Rod Steiger in Oklahoma.

Of course the ultimate is Paint Your Wagon. As if Clint Eastwood singing wasn't hilarious enough, you get Lee Marvin singing and dancing too. Talk about ruining the tough guy image. lol

I'm English so I obviously had no problem with the films mentioned. Four of my favourite English movies as well. Layer cake, Sexy Beast (Ben Kinsley is awesome), Hot Fuzz, and Shaun of the Dead.

I had a similar problem with No Country for Old Men. The words seemed to blend into one another. Great movie by the way. Possibly one the films of the year for me so far, alone with There will be Blood which has already been mentioned.

PS. For those that loved Hot Fuzz/ Shaun of the Dead I recommend finding the TV series which started it all. It's called Spaced and if you found the movies to your taste then it's definitely for you!

Talking of English films I forgot to mention Son of Rambow. It's a really nice film, and being a child of the 1980's it was a great nostalgic journey. For all you guys in the US and Canada I'd get ready for some reading as there are some cockney accents.

I recently saw Severance, and although i dont like to admit it.... it wasnt a bad flick. Danny Dyer was brilliant.

...Sub Titles...

I must clarify... that... I do not always watch English films with subtitles... its usually "action!" movies with loads of background noise... (Layer Cake) ... while other films weren't a problem - mostly (Hot Fuzz). Though, as far as the action goes... I didn't have an issue with Lock,Stock and Two Smoking Barrels... or any of the other "classics" that I remember watching (Trainspotting etc).

I have to admit here as well that I have watched "American" and "Canadian" films with subtitles in the past as well... though sometimes for different reasons that accents. There is a tendency in some Canadian cinema to really push the envelope on the low whispering moment... to the point where the background noise in my house (the fridge) interferes with my listening enjoyment of the movie... and of course as soon as some whispering is finished with... there is usually a clever cut to a club scene or similar with SUPER LOUD music and everyone is shouting.

I may have imagined all of this.

...but I just wanted to clarify.

(maybe I am losing my hearing?)

I, like Ian, had probs with No Country for Old Men. Javier Bardeem spoke in such low tones( his English was fine) that I ended up watching the film twice, once as is, and once subtitling his parts. One convo he had with Woody Harrelson, I totally misinterpreted.

Last night i saw Diary Of The Dead, and i recommend saving your 2 hours and your pretty pennies for a time when you really do not have anything better to do.

I'm going to have to check out spaced - I loved Shawn of the dead. I love that style of comedy but I also really like zombie movies, I know, sad...

For a satire zombie film, I enjoyed the film Fido. In this film, denatured zombies become servants. A young boy befriends the new household zombie and the family as a whole becomes more alive as the film progresses.

While some people may want more gore than this movie provides, I found it enjoyable, and have watched it 3 or 4 times.