Films: J
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39 titles
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsLeonardo DiCaprioArmie HammerNaomi WattsJ. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the F.B.I. for nearly fifty years, looks back on his professional and personal life.Average drama, really didn't care much about him.
- DirectorRiad SattoufStarsVincent LacosteCharlotte GainsbourgDidier BourdonIn the Kingdom of Bubunne, women are in power while men wear veils and do domestic tasks. Jacky, a lovely young man who dreams of marrying the 'Colonelle' has to struggle like a Cinderella to realize his dreams.MIFF.
clever, funny, confusing and makes me wonder if it was at all correct - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsMaureen O'HaraRobert NewtonCharles LaughtonIn Cornwall, 1819, a young woman discovers she's living near a gang of criminals who arrange shipwrecks for profit.Failed to interest, very boring.
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsPaul TerryJoanna LumleyPete PostlethwaiteAn orphan who lives with his two cruel aunts befriends anthropomorphic bugs who live inside a giant peach, and they embark on a journey to New York City.Superb animation, wonderful voice cast. Very funny.
- DirectorDee McLachlanStarsEmma LungVeronica SywakSaskia BurmeisterA thriller about trafficking, governmental deportation and the sex slave trade in Melbourne.Good film, makes a powerful point.
- DirectorBigas LunaStarsPenélope CruzStefania SandrelliAnna GalienaWhen a mother disapproves of her son's lover, she hires an underwear model and former bullfighter to seduce her away.Funny at times. Spanish passion.
- DirectorCary Joji FukunagaStarsMia WasikowskaMichael FassbenderJamie BellA mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.Stunning film, visual wonderful, tender performances almost heartbreaking.
- DirectorSue BrooksStarsToni ColletteGotaro TsunashimaLynette CurranAgainst the background of an Australian desert, Sandy, a geologist, and Hiromitsu, a Japanese businessman, play out a story of human inconsequence in the face of the blistering universe. The end of the journey leaves no one capable of going back to where they started from.nice story of clashing cultures.
- DirectorBaltasar KormákurStarsIngvar SigurdssonÁgústa Eva ErlendsdóttirBjörn Hlynur HaraldssonA murder opens up a bleak trail of long buried secrets and small town corruption for a worn out police detective and his squad.MIFF 2008
Really gripping Icelandic drama. Thought the story was really great, throughly involving and coherently told. Liked the use of flashback near the end of the film. Great cast, with natural performances and a nice touch of humour through it. But the cinematography is probably one of the best aspects of the film. Iceland looked bleak, yet stunning. Shots of the house and church by the sea, the overhead shots of the roads and surrounding countryside and the great aerial shot of the cathedral in Reykjavik. - DirectorSam MendesStarsJake GyllenhaalJamie FoxxLucas BlackA psychological study of Marine's state of mind during the Gulf War. Told through the eyes of a U.S. Marine sniper who struggles to cope with boredom, a sense of isolation, and other issues back home.good war film. Has a nice humour and a dark outlook without being too bleak.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsRoy ScheiderRobert ShawRichard DreyfussWhen a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.This is one of the best thrillers ever made. Stunningly effective after all these years. Both funny, scary and thrilling. Spielberg genius.
- DirectorJeannot SzwarcStarsRoy ScheiderLorraine GaryMurray HamiltonPolice chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.Things deteriorate after the 1st film...
- DirectorJoe AlvesStarsDennis QuaidBess ArmstrongSimon MacCorkindaleA giant thirty-five-foot shark becomes trapped in a SeaWorld theme park and it's up to the sons of police chief Brody to rescue everyone....until you get to this. Laughable.
- DirectorMabrouk El MechriStarsJean-Claude Van DammeValérie BodsonHervé SogneJean-Claude Van Damme gets involved in a bank robbery with hostages situation and reflects about his life during it.I was really impressed by this film, this is Jean-Claude Van Damme as you have never seen him. Really loved the visual style of the film, aswell as the way it played out with flashbacks explaining events.With Van Damme playing 'himself' it adds a totally different element to the film that would probably be otherwise very ordinary.
- DirectorPhilippe GarrelStarsLouis GarrelAnna MouglalisRebecca ConvenantAs a man leaves his wife and daughter, a series of brief conversations, observed gestures, chance encounters and impulsive acts, tell the story of the relationships that flounder and thrive in the wake of this decision.wonderful, simplistic story of love and fear. Louis Garrel needs to smile more.
- DirectorJay DuplassMark DuplassStarsJason SegelEd HelmsJudy GreerDispatched from his basement room on an errand for his widowed mother, slacker Jeff might discover his destiny (finally) when he spends the day with his unhappily married brother as he tracks his possibly adulterous wife.Sort of funny, but there's been better.
- DirectorCarl ReinerStarsSteve MartinBernadette PetersCatlin AdamsA simpleminded, sheltered country boy suddenly decides to leave his family home to experience life in the big city, where his naivete is both his best friend and his worst enemy.Slightly funny, but it's dated and Martin isn't as good as later films.
- DirectorTony KrawitzStarsEwen LeslieNaomi WilsonSaskia BurmeisterA young orthodox man searches for his place within his family and the rest of the world.Interesting story if very short.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsBette DavisHenry FondaGeorge BrentIn 1850s Louisiana, a free-spirited Southern belle loses her fiancé due to her stubborn vanity and pride, and vows to win him back.Bette Davis may have won an Oscar for this and whilst she puts in a fine performance(though not her best in my view), I was bored by this film, I fell asleep at one point and then had to rewatch part of it as I didn't understand what was happening. Oh dear!
- DirectorKen LoachStarsBarry WardFrancis MageeAileen HenryDuring the Depression, Jimmy Gralton returns home to Ireland after ten years of exile in America. Seeing the levels of poverty and oppression, the activist in him reawakens and he looks to re-open the dance hall that led to his deportation.MIFF.
good drama, well played, not as depressing as some Loach films - DirectorReha ErdemStarsDeniz HasgülerOnur ÜnsalYildirim SimsekJin, a guerrilla, lives in a cave and decides to escape from the organization. She finds some civilian clothes and goes down from the mountain to the city. However, the city is no safer than the mountain.Interesting film (girl power) great visuals, but very slow
- DirectorRay LawrenceStarsLaura LinneyGabriel ByrneJohn HowardAfter four men on a fishing trip discover a dead body in the water, they choose to delay reporting it and continue fishing.effective, and moving drama.
- DirectorDavid GelbStarsJiro OnoYoshikazu OnoMasuhiro YamamotoA documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.Wonderful portrait of a fascinating world
- DirectorRicki SternAnne SundbergStarsJoan RiversMelissa RiversKathy GriffinA documentary on the life and career of Joan Rivers, made as the comedienne turns 75 years old.SFF 2010
Watched in June 2010
You would think Joan Rivers would be constantly in demand, but at the top of this doco, we are informed otherwise. Insted she is comparing previous years where she was busy everyday to now, where she is constantly looking for the next gig. Still, she can't be that desperate, as she maintains a sumptious home and large staff, so money must be coming from somewhere.
The film follows Joan as she tries to get the next gig; to the process of turning her life into a stage show and taking it to Edinburgh and London with the hope of a NYC run, aswell as her and her daughter's time on Celebrity Apprentice. If anything the film shows River's constant determination and hard work and that at 75 she is not ready to quit now. There are some nice moments in this and much to laugh about. Some of her act grates on my nerves, yet some is very funny. She is willing to say many things others wouldn't. Pushing boundries is something she does well and is one of the few women who really go all out.
Having watched a lot of Kathy Griffin, it is difficult not to find comparisons: They are both determined, career minded hard working pro's, not fraid of a *beep* gig, if it means paying the rent. They are also women who aren't afraid of being upfront with their comedic approach. They also don't mind a trip to the surgeon.
I did wonder, how much longer she can keep up the act. It must be exhausting, and at 75, there moments where her eyes tell it all, the age is there. But what a run she has had, there are interesting musings on her early career, her time with Jonny Carsona nd her subsequent blacklisting from NBC. Also interesting, her dealing with a heckler who wasn't impressed with a deaf joke, wherein she launched a tirade of defence. Harsh, but true. I would like to have seen some more about her early life though, but otherwise this is a fascinating look into a legends life. - DirectorFrank PavichStarsAlejandro JodorowskyMichel SeydouxH.R. GigerThe story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.great doco about the unrealized film of Dune. Amazing if had been made
- DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsNicolas CageTye SheridanGary PoulterAn ex-con, who is the unlikeliest of role models, meets a 15-year-old boy and is faced with the choice of redemption or ruin.MIFF.
good drama, great performances from Cage and the boy. Violent at times. - DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsChase WilliamsonRob MayesPaul GiamattiA new street drug that sends its users across time and dimensions has one drawback: some people return no longer human. Can two college drop-outs save humanity from this silent, otherworldly invasion?Boring to the point I nearly fell asleep.
- DirectorStanley NelsonStarsRebecca MooreJanet ShularTim CarterFeaturing never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to Guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch.Incredible film and what is an astonishing event.
- DirectorChristian CarionStarsDiane KrugerBenno FürmannGuillaume CanetIn December 1914, an unofficial Christmas truce on the Western Front allows soldiers from opposing sides of the First World War to gain insight into each other's way of life.Listed as Joyeux Noel
Nicely filmed. Takes the horrors of war and doesn't present it too harshly. - DirectorJacques TatiStarsJacques TatiGuy DecomblePaul FrankeurA village postman with no sense of humour delivers his mail via bicycle on the day the travelling fair comes to town. He is disrupted by a short film about US speed and efficiency and the playful teasing of the village folk.SFF.
another Tati outing, enjoyable to a certain degree but felt a little bored ¾ of the way in. - DirectorRaymond DepardonClaudine NougaretStarsRaymond DepardonClaudine NougaretFrancis ApestéguyTravelling alone, internationally acclaimed and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and filmmaker Raymond Depardon spent six years capturing France with a large format camera. This long, solitary road trip provided fertile ground for the creation of an extraordinary travel journal. Depardon revisited important places from his past as a reporter: Chad, Venice and Cannes. Previously unseen footage from his archive has also been added to create an intimate, compelling and revelatory 'Journal de France' - a unique portrait of a country and its landscapes.Amazing film. Moving, funny and fascinating.
- DirectorTsai Ming-liangStarsKang-sheng LeeDenis LavantTsai Ming-liang returns with this latest entry in his Walker series, in which his monk acquires an unexpected acolyte in the form of Denis Lavant as he makes his way through the streets of a sun-dappled Marseille.Listed as Journey to the west. MIFF.
started tediously with an overly long long shot but slowly warmed to it. Loved watching the reactions of passers by ” - ihrtfilms - DirectorFrançois TruffautStarsJeanne MoreauOskar WernerHenri SerreDecades of a love triangle concerning two friends and an impulsive woman.Wonderful old French film. great performances.
- DirectorGuillem MoralesStarsBelén RuedaLluís HomarPablo DerquiThe story of a woman who is slowly losing her sight whilst trying to investigate the mysterious death of her twin sister.Starts well, but becomes slow and I lost interest.
- DirectorNora EphronStarsAmy AdamsMeryl StreepChris MessinaJulia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.Wonderful film. Great performances. Makes you hungry.
- DirectorPhil MorrisonStarsEmbeth DavidtzAlessandro NivolaDavid KuhnA dealer in "outsider" art travels from Chicago to North Carolina to meet her new in-laws, challenging the equilibrium of this middle class Southern home.I really loved this quiet little film, with the outstanding performance by Amy Adams. I also loved the scene where Alessandro Nivola's character sung the hymn in the church gathering, thought it was incredible beautiful.
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsElliot PageMichael CeraJennifer GarnerFaced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes a selfless decision regarding the unborn child.Likable film. Great cast. Nice humour.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsSam NeillLaura DernJeff GoldblumA pragmatic paleontologist touring an almost complete theme park on an island in Central America is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.This is one of those high impact films that really changed the idea of a blockbuster. When it opened in 1993 it broke box office records and stunned audiences with it's remarkable special effects.
I remember being blown away by the film, just the idea was intriguing but as a film it was quite an experience. It is also one of those films that I can enjoy on repeat viewings. As a film it works firstly as sheer entertainment: the minute we land on the island and see the first images of dinosaurs we are hooked. From then on things go from bad to worse for our characters and the set pieces get more amazing, culminating in some great raptor scenes. The story is of course fantastical, but it is played out so well, we give in and go with it, even the sarcasm of Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Malcolm doesn't subtract too much from the joyride and insted injects some much needed humour.
The film shines the most in it's special effects. Up until 1993 dinosaurs in films were a little well crap, then along comes Jurassic Park and Mr. Spielberg and movie goers where treated to some brilliantly realistic creatures. T-rex's roar and chase after jeeps, raptors think and open doors, whilst herds of dino's run away from danger, all of which leaves us breathless and thrilled. Spielberg is no stranger to this sort of film and in this he never wastes a moment in making sure the audience is kept amazed by the story which moves along at a fast pace.
Nowadays we wouldn't blink an eye at a special effects laden film, it's almost expected, but not only did this film astonish but still maintains an impact today. - DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsSam NeillWilliam H. MacyTéa LeoniA decidedly odd couple with ulterior motives convince Dr. Grant to go to Isla Sorna for a holiday, but their unexpected landing startles the island's new inhabitants.You would think if Mr. Spielberg had decided not to direct another sequel the movie studio might have been worried. But none the less, another sequel was bound to make money, regardless of who was behind the camera. This final installment struggles immensely in the story which didn't even have a Michael Crichton novel behind it. The characters are plain annoying and just a little stupid, although thankfully Dr. Alan Grant is here to lend a hand and thank god, else the rest of them wouldn't have lasted a minute.
I remember thinking this was terrible when I first saw this: the scenes within the dino aviary are cringe worthy: and of course there's the whole egg situation. Still if you can get past this there is something to enjoy and that of course is the dinosaurs and of course the special effects never let the film down and continue to amaze and impress throughout. Without them the film would be nothing, which is saying something. By the time our heroes have been rescued we are as thankful to be getting off the island as they are. Even more thankful is that so far no-one had dared make a fourth installment, despite the third one ending with a set up for one with pterodactyls flying off into the distance.