tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.comments2023-03-24T09:57:32.735-03:00Blip on the RadarMark Palermohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834848355885871487noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-69865313638877031872015-01-01T00:41:07.012-04:002015-01-01T00:41:07.012-04:00Completely agree with your choice of LUCY.Completely agree with your choice of LUCY.Werner Sikeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16729820687727075431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-36326434102157870292013-05-28T20:42:02.606-03:002013-05-28T20:42:02.606-03:00Pacing is one of the biggest problems I have with ...Pacing is one of the biggest problems I have with tent-pole movies. Furious 6 should've been as numb an experience to me as any other major release, but because Fast Five was paced so well, numbness was accompanied by disappointment.<br /><br />Perhaps the issue with Furious 6 isn't that it's too long, but that it's time could've been better spent. Other than the Dom/ Letty relationship, the movie felt like a series of payoffs, without the requisite setups preceding them. I stress the word FELT. What setups there were came not only quick, but immediately before the scene of their payoff. <br /><br />Fast 5 was emphatic with it's story beats and setups. Furious 6 is mostly just stuff happening.<br /><br />Anyway, nice blog. Check your Myspace, I sent you a message. I don't do Twitter and I couldn't find a way to send you a message on this blog. Had a question about Detention.<br />SAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-43797633650247222272010-09-02T16:59:27.307-03:002010-09-02T16:59:27.307-03:00A.I.? Really?A.I.? Really?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-66019070190248118152009-12-04T15:14:04.248-04:002009-12-04T15:14:04.248-04:00I've got to limit the number somehow.
City o...I've got to limit the number somehow. <br /><br /><i>City of God</i> didn't hold up for me much the second time I watched it. It's really an escapist thriller given a serious milieu--too exciting for its subject matter.<br /><br /><i>Donnie Darko</i> was certainly a big movie this decade, and really captured the zeitgeist. But it's in the solemn teen vein of <i>Virgin Suicides</i>, and I didn't see why I needed them both on here. Coppola's movie didn't tarnish its rep with a clueless director's cut.<br /><br /><i>Freddy Got Fingered</i> is a classic. I told everybody it would be back in 2001. Yeah, it would probably be in my top 30.Mark Palermohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834848355885871487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-74145496036533086392009-12-04T11:20:00.920-04:002009-12-04T11:20:00.920-04:00Whoa, wait, had to look up that they were in fact ...Whoa, wait, had to look up that they were in fact in the 2000s, but what about City of God or Donnie Darko? Honorable mention?rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13247884900314852878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-88418690936765769922009-12-04T10:39:20.095-04:002009-12-04T10:39:20.095-04:0021. Freddy Got Fingered21. Freddy Got Fingeredboostventilatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01594348677326306924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-6459596044796693182009-12-03T23:15:34.727-04:002009-12-03T23:15:34.727-04:00The Fury was released in 1978. Unless you feel I&#...<i>The Fury</i> was released in 1978. Unless you feel I've slighted <i>Fast and Furious</i>.Mark Palermohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834848355885871487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-18318563767492589222009-12-03T23:02:43.627-04:002009-12-03T23:02:43.627-04:00Why are there no movies with "Fury" in t...Why are there no movies with "Fury" in the title? I smell a rat.Joseph Kahnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17856118497554490394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-46528977141172083172009-12-03T19:15:42.526-04:002009-12-03T19:15:42.526-04:00I really like House of Flying Daggers, too. Seeing...I really like <i>House of Flying Daggers</i>, too. Seeing it at Cannes in the giant-theatre-that's-name-I-forget was amazing. But though I find both movies visually beautiful, <i>Hero</i> is more interesting to me. And it was first.Mark Palermohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834848355885871487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-61461196658433011592009-12-03T17:13:32.792-04:002009-12-03T17:13:32.792-04:00Yes yes yes to this list. Love that you put Ander...Yes yes yes to this list. Love that you put Anderson's Life Aquatic on it. <br />I only somewhat disagree with Hero, preferred Zhang's House of Flying Daggers. Because I'm a lady?? :Prileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13247884900314852878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-89784180850013723712009-03-12T17:15:00.000-03:002009-03-12T17:15:00.000-03:00btw you just don't blog enough!btw you just don't blog enough!rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13247884900314852878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-52867660811863583722009-03-11T19:02:00.000-03:002009-03-11T19:02:00.000-03:00...my god, especially that sex scene, I actually c......my god, especially that sex scene, I actually cringed - was totally confused - I couldn't reassure myself that they'd actually meant some humor in it - it just came across as awkward & uncomfortable. Wouldn't they have been better off trying to make us feel a real emotional connection with the intimacy, so we identify or care about it (and then as a by-product, get slightly turned on by the soft core porn)?<BR/><BR/>but I guess that’s just another symptom of what you said on the whole - that the movie was more concerned with Moore's ‘woe to the world’ warning, which I think is more a product of the time the story was written and not necessarily in touch with the now.. <BR/><BR/>The Times review said something about Synder following Moore's darker themes to an inevitable 'shallow nihilistic' conclusion - where blood and death are the only experiences with meaning.<BR/><BR/>Where's the hope? Yes we can!<BR/><BR/>Actually I think the ink blot ginger and the comedian aren't just cool because of their twisted ironic moralities, but because those are the only characters we ever get the chance to empathize with?<BR/><BR/>blue penis. that's all i'm sayin.rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13247884900314852878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-68203408487952785152009-03-09T18:52:00.000-03:002009-03-09T18:52:00.000-03:00I wonder if Butler is forgiven for ripping off my ...I wonder if Butler is forgiven for ripping off my old beard style in 300 by virtue of the movie taking place before I was born...<BR/><BR/>The long character scenes in Watchmen, especially between Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, don't hold as much interest as they should.Mark Palermohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834848355885871487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-81065600023179844632009-03-09T17:27:00.000-03:002009-03-09T17:27:00.000-03:00It definitely felt like the 1st 10 minutes of Watc...It definitely felt like the 1st 10 minutes of Watchmen were its most visually well constructed stuff, and I'm not just talking about the credit sequence. The first murder is great solid filmmaking on cinematic terms. Kind of Eddie Van Halen for camera junkies. Don't know why the rest of the film lacked that kind of energy.<BR/><BR/>I just felt ambivalent about everyone in the movie. I wonder why no one ever complains about the actors anymore unless its Tom Cruise or Will Smith? Aside from ink blot dude and comedian dude, everyone else was pretty blank. I bet 300 would not have been half as fun if it weren't for Gerard Butler and his old Palermo goatee.Joseph Kahnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17856118497554490394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-16450526618824262632009-03-09T17:05:00.000-03:002009-03-09T17:05:00.000-03:00The thing that's striking about the Watchmen comic...The thing that's striking about the Watchmen comic is that it has nuanced, human characters within a fantasy genre framework. I found the movie more concerned with Alan Moore's "Woe to the world" theme (which I couldn't take that seriously, anyway) than with articulating the life of the people in it.<BR/><BR/>But you're right, there are cool scenes. And why are the first 10 minutes of Zack Snyder's movies always their best?<BR/><BR/>What's your opinion on glowing blue penis, exactly?Mark Palermohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834848355885871487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-51637021264504697942009-03-09T13:43:00.000-03:002009-03-09T13:43:00.000-03:00For that matter, where's your Twilight review? I ...For that matter, where's your Twilight review? I heard you liked it.<BR/><BR/>I've not read 'Watchmen', but probably I was just as excited to see it as any fanboy thanks to all the noise. It didn't disappoint - it was certainly worth devoting an afternoon's entertainment [and some popcorn] to - but it wasn't exactly amazing either. Not sure I can put my finger on what it is about it that ultimately bugged me, but maybe its because I sensed a certain maniacal "look-what-I-can-do" glee behind the Direction, and less concern in a point to make, a theme to carry or an ultimate philosophical message to deliver. I expected a modern parable that would make me think, but I think I really just got a lot of pretty colours and surprising visuals - cool, but meaningless?<BR/><BR/>oh, that and a lot of glowing blue penis.rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13247884900314852878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-70702224083708920702009-03-09T12:54:00.000-03:002009-03-09T12:54:00.000-03:00The opinion in this blog will have to suffice till...The opinion in this blog will have to suffice till the review is published. Or maybe I'll send it to you...<BR/><BR/>Watchmen had some good damn hype. But it never blew me away with it.Mark Palermohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834848355885871487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-6573206800589583502009-03-09T11:44:00.000-03:002009-03-09T11:44:00.000-03:00Where's your Watchmen review?I want it!The movie b...Where's your Watchmen review?<BR/><BR/>I want it!<BR/><BR/><BR/>The movie blew me away with its hype.rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13247884900314852878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-60041301750571213662008-11-20T23:08:00.000-04:002008-11-20T23:08:00.000-04:00But I notice I haven't really answered the questio...But I notice I haven't really answered the question. Freebies are good. i remember being mailed a box of blackberry candies as a tie-in for the Jennifer Aniston film <I>The Good Girl</I>, and the studio behind <I>Kinsey</I> sent me a ruler, which was kind of inappropriate. But I'm shocked at any critic who would sell his/her morality like this. I can't build a substitute conscience out of chilled shrimp.Mark Palermohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834848355885871487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-27220823279402882222008-11-20T22:46:00.000-04:002008-11-20T22:46:00.000-04:00Damn right, I'm serious. Acting arty doesn't make ...Damn right, I'm serious. Acting arty doesn't make a good artist. <BR/><BR/>I have never noticed Ebert's chilled shrimp obsession. But I will say that as someone who gets below-Ebert critic-wages, I'll take all the chilled shrimp I can get.<BR/><BR/>Ebert may be trying a little experiment with his shrimp mentions. As a character explains in the motion picture <I>Repo Man</I>:<BR/><BR/>"A lot of people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch of unconnected incidents 'n things. They don't realize that there's this, like, lattice of coincidence that lays on top of everything. Give you an example: Suppose you're thinkin' about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate of shrimp out of the blue. No explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness." <BR/><BR/>Maybe Ebert saw that movie, and now says "shrimp" a lot, just hoping someone nearby was thinking about shrimp, so they'll do a double-take.Mark Palermohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834848355885871487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-781225251663726482008-11-20T22:12:00.000-04:002008-11-20T22:12:00.000-04:00Ebert seems to have a thing about chilled shrimp. ...Ebert seems to have a thing about chilled shrimp. He mentions it about 50 times. I think Ebert really likes chilled shrimp. What's your take on chilled shrimp, Palermo? Do film critics constantly wage moral battles over shrimp bribes?<BR/><BR/>I don't think many people in the universe will understand how you can rank extinction's artistry over blindness in a completely serious way, but I know you are serious. That's why you are a bad ass.Joseph Kahnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17856118497554490394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-54884232315835291592008-11-12T12:12:00.000-04:002008-11-12T12:12:00.000-04:00As High Fidelity taught us, qualitative lists are ...As <I>High Fidelity</I> taught us, qualitative lists are an incurable male trait. The point is, great movies have to survive beyond an Oscar season. <BR/><BR/>Thanks. I should dig out that <I>Dawn of the Dead</I> review again, as I trust your opinion when you say it's good.<BR/><BR/>Hudgens: Those random pics are partly my sense of humour, and partly related to another point I should have brought up. Know your reader. I assume that my readers are horny.Mark Palermohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834848355885871487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-77626735054052760862008-11-12T11:46:00.000-04:002008-11-12T11:46:00.000-04:00OK, but RE: trying mostly to ignore 'best of the y...OK, but RE: trying mostly to ignore 'best of the year' type assesments.. i really love your years's end ranking list, since i always fully agree with your top five. <BR/><BR/>my favorite demonstration of your evident critical genius -- when we left the theatre after 'Dawn of the Dead' and you said, 'the first ten minutes of the film were better than anything else I've seen yet this year', and that translated on paper to:<BR/> <BR/>"I wasn’t sure what the hell I’d been watching, but those ten minutes are delivered with a leftfield forcefulness that truly seemed to be “updating” George Romero’s satiric 1978 masterpiece (itself a sequel to Night of the Living Dead, which had a remake 14 years ago) into some untapped 21st century social critique."<BR/><BR/>you are smrt. <BR/><BR/>i also loved that movie. not so much all the out of context vanessa hudgens pics in this post. you have her poster on your wall, don't you? <BR/><BR/>xorileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13247884900314852878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-50740794412387734202008-11-10T06:43:00.000-04:002008-11-10T06:43:00.000-04:00Interesting to know.Interesting to know.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587617789284704306.post-20176593651273759452008-06-08T06:39:00.000-03:002008-06-08T06:39:00.000-03:00This is like 3 months late, but:the Wendy's jalape...This is like 3 months late, but:<BR/><BR/>the Wendy's jalapeno melt is actually ridiculously hot. I consider myself an advocate of spice but seriously, goddamn.<BR/><BR/>Also, yeah - it's time for this quarter's update!honkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11545231971975827258noreply@blogger.com