Movie Notes: "Snakes on a Plane"

"I hate snakes, Jock. I hate 'em."
But I loved this movie. It made me feel like a kid again. Yet, I was the kid who hated horror films and ran to the lobby when the trailer for the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was playing. A film I still have not seen to this day, in fact the only childhood horror film that I have not yet conquered. My appreacaiton of horror films has grown and I am now a fan. But I truely hate snakes, they creep me out just watching them on 'Animal Planet' or the 'National Geographic' channel. I actually screamed during this film, and I have never done that before. I think that is what made me love seeing this film it creeped me out, and I liked it. I sat there with my feet on on the rail during the the whole film. I have no complaints of the film whatosever. It was great fun. I even loved the sound track and the music video during the end credits. That song is my pick for Best Song this year. I can't remember a desaster film that was this good or this much fun, this was worth the wait. This was nothing but fun. It was the best summer event movie this year.

August Oscar Predictions

BEST DIRECTOR
1 Bill Condon (Dreamgirls)
2 Clint Eastwood (Flags of Our Fathers)
3 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel)
4 Steven Soderbergh (The Good German) or,
Robert DeNiro (The Good Shepherd)
5 Todd Field (Little Children)

Paul Greengrass (United 93)
Milos Forman (Goya’s Ghosts)
Pedro Almodovar (Volver)
Oliver Stone (World Trade Center)

Film Diary update - "Miami Vice" review

Let’s look at Michael Mann
The Jericho Mile (1979) (TV movie) B
I can still remember seeing this on TV, it was far better than your average TV movies are or were.
Thief (1981) B
A good crime drama, with bad guys you can root for.
The Keep (1983) ?
I know nothing about this, and apparently neither does anyone else.
Manhunter(1986) B+
Where he showed us his “Miami Vice” look before it hit the tube. I find it hard to watch today, but I own it on DVD.
The Last of the Mohicans (1992) B+
Oh, yeah! Daniel Day-Lewis, running and running and running … “No, you submit, do you hear? You be strong, you survive... You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you.” I’m still waiting for him to find me. I own this one too.
Heat (1995) A
It brought Pacino and DeNiro together finally, yet somewhat of a disappointment, but it was the only disappointment. A thrilling shoot out that can’t be compared.
The Insider (1999) A
Russell Crowe’s best acting performance, and the film that put him where he is today.
Ali (2001) C
It made Will Smith and Oscar nominee, yet it failed to live up to the expectations. I have not seen this, and I really have not desire to. Instead watch “When We Were Kings.”
Collateral (2004) B+
The best Tom Cruise film (yeah, he dies!) and it showed that Jamie Foxx’s Oscar was not a fluke.
Miami Vice (2006) D
TV rerun, rehash, remake; it would have been better had they made this a spoof or made Heat 2. This was so awful and such a disappointment. First off, the look of the film, thank god Mann did not throw us back twenty years, yet the crisp colors, bright sunshine and hip musical video type scenes are what made the television series popular. Here we get dark fuzzy shots with a handheld video camera that looks like it was shot by an amateur cameraman. This may have worked for Collateral, but this is not the same kind of film, and it definitely does not work here. Here we have two beautiful people cast as lovers and yet they created more heat on the dance floor than they did in the bedroom scenes, and that wasn’t much. Crocket and Tubbs were supposed to be partners and yet they didn’t even look at each other during the whole film. What was up with Colin Farrell’s accent, it was all over the place, and his look was more undercover/biker than undercover/drug dealer. Who’s idea was it to put him in another bad dye job again, one more and it will become a Colin Farrell cliché meaning expect a bad film. I could go on and on about what I didn’t like about this and how bad this was, so just take it from me not to see this film, unless you have never seen any of Michael Mann’s before, then you just might like it, but then I won’t hold out any hope for you if you do.

"Oscar Sights" says Good-bye

Shawn Elmore says he will no longer be updating his web site Oscar Sights: (http://members.cox.net/oscarsights/)
Check out his latest blog posting at: http://oscarsights101.blogspot.com/
I'm sure I speak for everyone who loves this stuff, that we are going to miss you. And I personally wish you good luck, with school and finding that teaching job next year.

Best Picture Predictions for August

Best Picture
1 Dreamgirls (Dreamworks)
2 Babel (Paramount)
3 United 93 (Universal) or,
Flags of Our Fathers(Dreamworks) or,
World Trade Center Paramount/Universal)
4 The Good German (Steven Soderbergh)or,
The Good Shepherd (Universal Pictures)
5 Little Children (New Line)

Goya's Ghosts (no distributor)
Catch a Fire

I think that “World Trade Center” will be coming off this list soon. I feel that with what is happening in the news today; Mr. Stone’s reputation, and the now unfortunate release date, things are not looking good despite what some critics say about the performances, I think this film has an uphill battle. That is why I have “United 93” at number three and “WTC” as my second alternative for that spot.

As for the number four spot, I can’t decide. I have put “Good Shepherd” first because of Soderberg and Clooney.