More Stuff I've Seen Of Late.

The title explains the purpose of the post:

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones- Hilariously inept, from the B-Movie title to the leaden script. Clunky dialogue and bored actors show that money isn't everything. Making Ewen McGregor and Natalie portman look as though they have never acted in their lives is some feat. Making Hayden Christiansen look as though he is the worst actor ever is quite easy though. I think the hype and nostalgia over the original Star Wars films is over done, but they were miles better than this. 1/5

Aguirre: Wrath of God- Atmospheric Herzog drama about conquistadors. The protagonist's growing insanity brings obvious comparisons with Marlon Brando in Apocalypse now. The ending could be seen a mile off though. 4/5


Au Hasard Balthasar - The donkey's stoicism is a good metaphor for human suffering but it is a bloody gloomy film. I'm not sure whether it is incredibly pretentious or not. 2/5


The Simpsons Movie- Like a really long Simpsons episode and nothing more and nothing less. Pretty funny, but it could have been done just as well on the small screen. 4/5


Dark Water- Atmospheric Japanese horror but goes on too long. My expectations were high for this, but it wasn't quite creepy enough and it began to drag on a bit. 4/5


Beyond the Valley of the Dolls- Bizarre but amusing. Whatever else one says about it, the film is genuinely original and unlike anything else. 4/5


Barry Lyndon- Engaging Thackeray adaptation by Stanley Kubrick.It's about the rise and fall of an Irishman on the make in the late 18th century, whose rise in status is accompanied by a deterioration in his character, so that when the fall does come it is well deserved. The depiction of each stage in his life can almost stand alone apart from the film as a whole. 4/5


The Birds.- More terrifying than Orville. It's a real pleasure when a supposed film classic actually lives up to the hype. As with other Hitchcock films the preamble before the main story goes on long enough to establish a back story for the main characters and the relationships between them, so that by the time the birds start attacking (sorry was that a spoiler?) it is possible to actually care about their fate. I've heard that a Hollywood remake is i the offing, which seems utterly pointless. 5/5.