dibot

Member since 5/25/2007, last signed in last week.

"The Movie Never Changes"

Send a message

Add to contacts

Invite to a group

Interested in:Fantasy, Horror, Science & Technology, Theater

dibot's movie tags

Talk

Re:Bugs and Errors
By dibot in Spout Customer Care
"I was trying to link a movie in my blog and was unable to find the title on the list of choices. But when I searched the sight, I found the film. It is Shutter (2008). In this same film, I also could not link to The Secret (2006) or The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976). All of which I found on the site when I searched for them outside of my film blog. Could you look into the link a movie search feature? Also, a general complaint. In the search box, it says that you can search by actor, but when I put in an actor's name, I only get titles that have the actor's name in them, like Saturday Night Live Presents Whoever. I would really like to see a list of films starring that actor instead. Thanks for your help. " [More]

Lakeview Terrace

Man Who Fell to Secret Shutter ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Shutter, which I knew nothing about going in, turned out to be pretty creepy. Joshua Jackson ("Bobby") stars as a photographer who keeps seeing a ghost in his pictures. Then she turns up haunting him and his girlfriend, so they try to sort out why she's so pissed. The mood is pretty chilly throughout, and even the end held up. I wouldn't say seek it out, but if you come across it, it's worth watching.The newest film from writer/director David Mamet ("Spartan"), Redbelt is sort of about a martial arts instructor who doesn't want to fight in a tournament, but then circumstances, and acquaintances, conspire to get him into it. Because it's Mamet, the dialogue is super cool. My two new favorite phrases, "Let the wheel come around," and "Leave the outside, outside." However, there are a few side stories that are either confusing or don't go anywhere. Chiwetel Ejiofor ("American Gangster") is amazing in the lead. His eyes express everything. I quite enjoyed this.Drawn to The Secret throu ... " [More]

Jules and Jim

Righteous Baby Mama Returns to ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Righteous Kill reunites two acting greats, Al Pacino ("Ocean's Thirteen") and Robert De Niro ("Stardust"). I was intrigued enough to get to the theater, but really the film is just a glorified made-for-TV cop drama. It's very predictable. Neither De Niro or Pacino really bring anything new to their roles of cops tracking a serial killer who is probably one of their own. I did enjoy seeing De Niro play the more angry role. Just wait for this to come on cable.With funnywomen Tina Fey ("30 Rock") and Amy Poehler ("Saturday Night Live") in the leads, Baby Mama should have been a big basket of funny. But, alas, it was not. Fey wants a baby, but is unable to conceive, so she hires Poehler to be her surrogate. Poehler is white-trash. Fey is upscale business. I guess writer/director Michael McCullers ("Thunderbirds," Baby Mama is his directorial debut) thought hijinks would ensue. However, the only funny bits were Poehler peeing in the sink and everything involving the doorman, Romany Mal ... " [More]

Cannibal Holocaust

Blow-Up Rio Bravo In the Heat o ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"I now know why people love John Wayne ("The Shootist"). Directed by Howard Hawks ("Rio Lobo"), Rio Bravo stars Wayne as a sheriff in an old-west town trying to hold a powerful man in jail until the Marshall comes. For help he has a recovering alcoholic deputy, played beautifully by Dean Martin ("Cannonball Run II"), and an old hilarious, crotchety jail keeper, played by Walter Brennan ("Smoke in the Wind"). They pick up Ricky Nelson ("Sonic Boom") for a little more backup and some singing. The four take a stand against many hired and better armed men. And there's a sassy gambler, Angie Dickinson ("Elvis Has Left the Building"), for Wayne to fall for. And it's three hours of movie magic. Loved it.Though Blow-Up features more beautiful shots than gripping plot, I found myself glued to the screen. This is the first film I've seen from director Michelangelo Antonioni ("Eros"), and if his other films live up to this, I can't wait to watch more. The story focuses on a snotty photographer ... " [More]

The Last Kiss

Smart Sleuth's Last Andromeda D ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Smart People (2008) is a light dramedy starring Dennis Quaid ("Vantage Point") as a self-absorbed, egotistical professor who begins to change his life after an accident leaves him unable to drive. He's surrounded by quirky family, most notably Thomas Haden Church ("Spider-man 3"), the best part of the film. I thought some of it was trying to hard, but mostly it's entertaining. Something to relax with on a gloomy day.Directed by Kenneth Branagh ("The Magic Flute"), Sleuth brings together both Alfies, Michael Caine ("The Dark Knight") and Jude Law ("My Blueberry Nights"), and allows them to act their pants off. Sometimes literally. Adapted from Anthony Shaffer ("The Wicker Man")'s play, and a remake of 1972 film, in which Caine also starred, the action is all set in Caine's home. But it is an elaborate and beautiful contraption, almost a character itself. Branagh keeps it from being too static with interesting shots. Caine's character has discovered that Law is sleeping with his wife ... " [More]

The Italian Job

Le Cercle de Rififi Skinwalkers ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"The first time I started watching Skinwalkers, I couldn't finish it. I got freaked out because it was late at night and everyone had fallen asleep, leaving me alone with my werewolf fear. However, the next time around, still alone, but this time during the day, it wasn't nearly as effective. The plot revolves around a group of werewolves who see the condition as a curse and a young boy who has been prophesied to save them. The there's the other group of werewolves who kind of like hunting and killing people and they're trying to stop this little boy. The story is good, the werewolves are effective and it has good production. But I think that's part of the problem. The movie is hit by a cool curse. It think's it a lot cooler than it is. Still, alone at night, this could creep you out. Rififi is a truly awesome heist film. Jean Servais ("Porzi"), just out of jail, burns the screen with his eyes. The perpetrators execute the heist in complete silence. It's gritty, sometimes funny and ... " [More]

The Pineapple Express

Live Pineapple Mirrors Breed Lo ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I really enjoyed Pineapple Express. I laughed so much that I thought I would choke on my food. Sure, Seth Rogan ("Stepbrothers") yells a little too much, and, in a couple of places, the film drags a little. But over all, very, very funny. James Franco ("In the Valley of Elah") stars as Rogan's pot dealer to whom Rogan confesses he has witnessed a crime. The two then go on the run. I can't wait to watch this again. Live Flesh is a gorgeous film by writer/director Pedro Almodovar ("Volver"). Like many of Almodovar's films, sometimes the plot takes back seat to the colors and visuals on screen, but it doesn't take away from the film. Javier Bardem ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona") stars as a cop who gets paralyzed by a stray bullet. After the shooter is released from jail, he begins stalking Bardem's wife. And then it's weird and beautiful. See it. Mirrors isn't really awful. It's just not very good, either. Kiefer Sutherland ("The Sentinel") tries really hard to act like the end of this ... " [More]

Caché

The Lavender Hill Puppet Master ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"The Lavender Hill Mob is a British heist movie from 1951 starring Alec Guinness ("A Foreign Field"). The story is told by a man at a fancy club, and, as his tale unfolds, we see exactly how he fits into the story. The heist itself is pretty good. The characters are relatable and there are both genuinely tense and funny moments. But, perhaps I need more flash. Or more grit. Or more something. Good film, but not great. Though this has obviously influenced modern heist films, especially with the group dynamic. I have heard so much praise for Cache that it was almost inevitable that it not live up to my expectations. A couple begin receiving videotapes of their everyday activities. They don't know who's sending them, but as the videos are non-threatening, the police cannot help. The film then focuses on a possible suspect and how the tapes and his information affect the family dynamic. It's interesting, with a slow, methodical, unsettling pace. Juliette Binoche ("Paris") is gorgeous. ... " [More]

The Dark Knight

Who Can Kill a Dark Knight Vant ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Vantage Point was not as awful as everyone said. However, I've already forgotten most of it. The different perspectives were kind of neat, but, especially at the end, there were some Crash-esque moments. Wait for this to make the rounds on cable. Again, maybe I'm just not good with older and/or screwball comedies. To Be or Not To Be is set in WWII Poland about a group of actors who try to fool the Nazi's and save the underground resistance. It has some really funny parts, but, mostly, I was just mildly amused. I did really enjoy Carole Lombard ("Mr. and Mrs. Smith"), though. Probably everything that can be said about The Dark Knight has been said. That aside, it was really, really good. All of the acting is top-notch. Christian Bale ("I'm Not There")'s Batman voice does get on my nerves a bit, though. Heath Ledger ("I'm Not There") is actually as good as everyone says. The film was a bit too long. That's my biggest criticism. All the Harvey Dent stuff could really have been a who ... " [More]

The Ruins

Definitely, Maybe Ruins Mysteri ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"Alfred Hitchcock ("Family Plot") remakes his own film, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and it is quality. I haven't seen the earlier version, so I cannot compare. In this one, Jimmy Stewart ("The Big Sleep") gets mixed up in an assassination plot and his son gets kidnapped. So he and his wife, the blonde Doris Day ("With Six You Get Egg Roll"), end up taking things into their own hands. Very well shot, very suspenseful. Day sings "Que Sera Sera " alot. Not the greatest Hitchcock, but still very good. The Ruins is one of the better horror movies I've seen lately, and I'm not even that scared of plants. While on a trip to South America, a group of teens gets invited to visit an archeological dig. But once they reach the site, some natives trap them on a Mayan pyramid, and shoot anyone trying to leave. So there's that threat. Then the kids have to figure out why. Then there's tension and very gross painful things. Very enjoyable. Definitely, Maybe is probably (ha ha ) the worst romantic ... " [More]

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Third Breaker's Sweet Smell of ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"The internet keeps crashing on me. Making me crazy. Please be advised.Breaker Morant is based on the actual events during the Boer War, and subsequent court marshalling of three Australian officers. The government has set them up for a fall, providing them with an inexperienced defense attorney and allowing him little time to prepare his case. The trial scenes are tense and the flashbacks to what the men actually did in the field are also engaging. But I was really fascinated with how the men held up in their cells, preparing to face their verdict, and the politics of it all. Very good.Ah, the Sweet Smell of Success, good in so many ways. Burt Lancaster ("Field of Dreams") is a gossip columnist and Tony Curtis ("Reflections of Evil") is a PR agent trying to get his clients some publicity. Only Lancaster's shutting him out because he wants Curtis to break up his sister's relationship with a musician. Then the plot gets twisty. Curtis is fast talking and sleazy and grasping for fame. ... " [More]

Sunrise

Absence of Sunrise in the Killi ...
By dibot in dibot Blog
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"Well, I was almost caught up on my reviews. Then I slacked off again. It never ends. Directed by F.W. Murnau ("Tabu: A Story of the South Seas"), Sunrise is a silent film following a cheating husband whose mistress urges him to kill his wife. I sometimes have difficulty with silent films, but this one is so gorgeous and heartbreaking. The wife, Janet Gaynor ("Bernadine"), has a face like a luminous moon. And every emotion is conveyed perfectly without the use of words. The cinematography is also very good. Dare I say...masterpiece? Absence of Malice is a tight little thriller with Sally Field ("Two Weeks") as a journalist investigating and becoming involved with Paul Newman ("Cars"), who the FBI suspect of murder. Director Sydney Pollack ("Sketches of Frank Gehry") explores the power of the press and what really constituents news. Very enjoyable. Based on actual events, Mutiny on the Bounty chronicles one crews voyage from England to Tahiti under the reign of an abusive captain. ... " [More]