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Showing posts from November, 2011

The Magician (Ansiktet) (1958) ****

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3 reasons to see this film:

Maniac Cop 2 (1990) **1/2

The Muppets (2011) ***1/2

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*SPOILERS* The Muppets  (2011) isn't quite the home run that some are making it out to be, but it's very enjoyable and clearly made with love. The great moments were really great and the rest were serviceable. Unfortunately, there were a lot of "meh" moments and plot points as well. 1 . The mansion A lot of people are mentioning this - Kermit wouldn't live in a mansion. Just doesn't feel right. 2 . Walter He's fine. I don't hate him (like Kermit's nephew Robin , whom we were blissfully spared from in this film), and the film actually didn't focus on him too much, which is good. But he doesn't have a lot of personality. 3 . References While I love Gary Numan , WTF does "Cars" have to do with anything? Because Kermit says, "We drive"...? Kind of a stretch. I don't think Jim Henson would have used the Cee-Lo song. It's clever to a certain degree, but it's unnecessary. The barbershop singing Nirvan

Phantom Of The Paradise (1974) ****1/2

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This film blew my mind. This is my Rocky Horror .   Winslow Leach: "But I'm innocent! Swan stole my music and FRAMED ME!" Swan Phoenix: "I'll give them whatever they want." The Phantom: "My music is for Phoenix. Only she can sing it. Anyone else who tries, dies."   Tonto Beef: "Can't you feel the vibes in your own house, man? Bad, sport, real bad. The karma in here is so thick, you need an aqualung to breathe."  

The General (1926) ****

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Wallace & Gromit - The Wrong Trousers (1993) ****1/2

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My favorite W&G .

Wallace & Gromit - A Grand Day Out (1989) ***1/2

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"Everyone knows the moon is made of cheese."

Halloween II (1981) ***

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Movie Matters Podcast #12 - Brian De Palma Special

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I had the great pleasure of being a guest on the Movie Matters podcast! In this episode of the Movie Matters podcast, regular co-hosts Lee Howard and Michael Mackenzie are joined by special guest Daniel Sardella to discuss the films of Brian De Palma . The three hosts cast an eye over three of the equally celebrated and derided filmmaker's most infamous thrillers - SISTERS , BLOW OUT and BODY DOUBLE - and induct another Blu-ray transfer into the Movie Matters Hall of Fame.     DOWNLOAD The music sampled in this episode is all from THE UNTOUCHABLES by Ennio Morricone , FEMME FATALE by Ryuichi Sakamoto , SISTERS and OBSESSION by Bernard Herrmann , and RAISING CAIN , BLOW OUT and BODY DOUBLE by Pino Donaggio .

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) ***

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Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind (2002) ***1/2

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"Leave the microfilm in, baby." "Stay tuned for more...STUFF."

Scarface (1983) ***1/2

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I used to love this film when I was a teenager. And then I sort of disowned it for a long time. This was partly because of all the merchandising surrounding the film and the "glamorization" of the main character by the Hip Hop world. Tony Montana is not someone to look up to and that's one of the main problems that I have with the film - the lead character is almost unequivocally despicable. Plenty of film villains are charismatic - Alex DeLarge, Bill The Butcher, Hannibal Lecter, Patrick Bateman, Max Cady, Frank Booth. Despite committing horrible acts, there's always something that makes us "like" them, be it their snappy dialogue, their intelligence, their insanity, their dangerousness. Tony Montana however, doesn't really have anything going for him that makes me want to care about his "plight". He's crude, uneducated, gains power by killing people and selling drugs, is extremely greedy, destroys everyone near and dear to him, and

Straw Dogs (1971) ****

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Evil Dead 2 (1987) ****

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Zombie (1979) ****

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Susan Carmella Sardella "Nana" (08/05/26 - 11/11/11)

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My grandmother ("Nana") passed away early this morning. She was 85 . She was married to Stephen Joseph Sardella (another amazing human being) for 58 years. I'm not sure if there is any significance to the fact that today is Veteran's Day and my grandfather ("Da"), who passed away at 89 in 2007 , was a WWII veteran or that today is 11 / 11 / 11 , but I mention these things anyway. Nana loved to cook Italian food and desserts, to paint and wood-carve, to roller skate, to play the mandolin, to sing and to travel, which my grandparents did for 20 years, visiting 70 countries! She worked for many years as an assistant librarian in the children's section of the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefield, MA, where she lived for over 60 years. She loved her family enormously and they loved her the same. From left: Steven Sardella, Susan Sardella, Susan Sardella ("Nana"), Stephen Sardella ("Da"), Sharon Sardella ("Mum&

Pulp Fiction (1994) *****

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