(null)Created 26 Apr 2002 at 15:52 UTC by baggins, last modified 28 Apr 2002 at 07:11 UTC by baggins.
URL: www.imdb.com Notes: Well, i thought perhaps we could have a movies entree, where we could discuss movies. this intro has been edited. So post movies that you want to talk about. this is the place to do it.
ala carte.................................................$4.95
with cheese............................................$5.45
Ah, so I am not the only one. She was really great in The Larry Sanders Show. And she should have been given a much bigger part in Dogma, too.She was also in a movie called The Matchmaker, which was laden with Oirishness and generally cringe-making material. But who cares? It had Janeane Garofalo!
Lest we forget Mystery Men, where she was able to exhibit her full garofalosity.SHe was also in the GOOD Sylvester Stallone movie, Cop Land.
cop land is a great, overlooked movie. i love it.
another overlooked movie and also one of my favorites is Unstrung Heroes. it has Andie MacDowell, John Turturro, and Michael Richards in it. go and rent it.
actually, i mentioned this uncanny attraction in the company of several friends. a surprising number of them felt the same way, and felt strangely vindicated as well! so, we are not her only admirers. so interesting. i wonder how wide this is spread?
man she's been in lot of stuff, including Majo no takkyubin...
I wish I was half as sexy as Jeneane Garofalo. It's all in the attitude, the biting wit (I try to pull that off and I hurt myself). Personally, I think her best role was in Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion when she plays a badass who invented fast burning cigarettes.
I like Ms. Garofalo, but I'm not like, insanely crazy about her. I feel, a little bit, like her shtick is often sort of the same thing. It's cool, but I'm not sure I've seen that much dramatic or comedic scope.I still like her though, don't get me wrong.
Dude, her name begins with Gar! What's not to love?
You know, the justification for Elise naming one of her cats Gar was that it was short for Garofalupagus.
and i'm a straight chick.
... my favorite Janine Garafalo bit was the Bathroom Monkey commercial from Saturday Night Live. "I don't know where monkeys come from, I don't know how they reproduce..."
well, since i edited the body of the entree, the rest of my thoughts are now here. but they should be at the top of the list of replies. i don't know how to fix that.anyways, there is a really funny movie i saw a couple weeks ago called Wet Hot American Summer.
Its made by/stars a bunch of people from an old sketch comedy show on MTV called The State.
Its a funny movie that is kind of a parody of 80's camp movies. the plot is centered around the last day of summer camp, and lots of funny stuff that happens. if you were ever a fan of The State, or you like the comedy acting of Janeane Garofalo or David Hyde Pierce, this movie is for you. i'll warn you that it does go a little over the top on some themes, but that is what made The State funny a lot of times anyways. i laughed a lot when i watched this, and i was sober. If you ever worked at summer camp, or went to summer camp, you'll find at least some of this movie funny. id recommend it.
I also have a weird attraction to Janeane Garofalo. Im not sure what it is, exactly.
My first exposure to Ms. Garofalo was through her adverts for Comedy Central, the ones where she is sitting with a group of excessively cute big-eyed children in what looks like a kindergarten classroom and she is ranting on about how they don't have to follow the crowd and can just say no to The Bridges of Madison County. I was immediately impressed as this was the first hint I had seen that not all comedians in this country were in the "So, a guy goes into a bar..." category (all though the large majority are). Next was an old clip, again on Comedy Central, doing her act with long hair and spectacles. Again, a well-considered rant. Everything I've seen after that has been a major disappointment as she has toned down to nearer middle of the road and relies on preaching to the converted in the audience. I've seen no evidence of any new material. For someone who delivers deadpan to perfection, an early Margaret Smith is enormously better than Janeane. She reminds me of Hattie Hayridge (yes, one of the Hollys from Red Dwarf) at her best.
is this a Janeane Garofalo entree or good movie post? i love her but, can we talk about what some of you good people have seen.
for more that janeane has done her filmography.
there is a great page for info on everything movies.
The Internet Movie Database
check it out its really cool for looking up who was in what and such.
but it couldn't hurt to have it in again.
sorry dude i relized you post that already. great minds think alike.
how true. and you like janeane garofalo too. i knew i liked you.
Best Double Feature Ever
Book of Love
Career Opportunities
Second Best Double Feature Ever
Barton Fink
Blue Velvet
Deep Blue Sea
Gone with the Wind
Overboard
10 things I hate about you
And anything with Doris Day
if you haven't seen 'the princess and the warrior' : go out and rent it immediately. it's a beautiful flick. and not girlie.
Has anyone seen Spiderman yet? What did you think of it?
Everyone I've asked about it has said pretty much what I expected from it: "Oh, it's really great! I mean, it has some hokey scenes, but you need those in a comic book movie! It's got good action, and it's really cool! I was surprised!"
So yeah. It's a fun flick, by all accounts I've read. Although I still think the guy they got for Spiderman is wrong. I never bought the crap about Parker being a shy, nerdy teen. He always struck me as an introverted wiseass. He doesn't talk to many people, but he's got his wits about him, and he knows who he is. The coming-of-age spin doesn't do it for me.
we're talking some great movies.
Clerks
Mallrats
Chasing Amy
Dogma
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
some classics here folks.
i want to get the 'Berserker' Tshirt from the View Askew Productions website.
Don't see what the craze is. They're okay, but not spectacular. Dogma was enjoyable, but most definitely overhyped. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was pretty funny, but only if you've seen all the others. So the series gets a resounding "meh" from me.
some people laugh at some things, some laugh at others. i don't know.
two movies to recomend.
Focus with William H. Macy, Laura Dern, David Paymer, and Meat Loaf.
it was based on the book by Arthur Miller.
Novocaine with Steve Martin, Laura Dern, and Helena Bonham Carter. good dark comedy.
carlson will like that marla is in it. "If I had a tumor, I'd name it Marla."
I must say, I think that Dazed and Confused is a great movie.
"http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/02/08/delicatessen_1991_review.shtm l" delicatessen is a really cool french film that is very dark and grotesque,but takes such joy and delight in being so that you can hardly restrain your own delight. it's by the same guy who made amelie and stars the stalker guy from the cafe as a retired circus performer.
delicatessen is a really cool french film that is very dark and grotesque,but takes such joy and delight in being so that you can hardly restrain your own delight. it's by the same guy who made amelie and stars the stalker guy from the cafe as a retired circus performer.
html is still a foreign language to me.referring to the title of this post, did anyone see the HBO documentary called 'living dolls' ??? i spent much of last june watching this over and over and i'm still obsessed with it.
it may have disappeared entirely after that month because we spent the rest of the summer waiting for it to come back.
excellent movie. i love it. i haven't seen it in forever. ben affleck is in it too. and milla jovovich.
there is a movie that i have been reading about called
Dogtown and Z-Boys. it is a documentary on skateboarding in southern California when it first became popular. it is supposed to be really good, and have actual super8-type footage from then. has anybody heard of this movie, or anything about it? anybody know where its playing in chicago?
Delicatessen is a great movie! pete showed it down in java a few years back on a projector. it was really cool to watch in java house with a ton of people. i would second kels recomdation.
"It all started for me when I was fifteen. That's when I invented the artificial cow heart.""You know, if my foot could talk...it would say, 'May I please go up this geek's ass!"
-now THAT's some snappy dialogue. i miss the days when teen movies were intelligent and funny. although stupid and funny is nice sometimes too (dude, where's my script?). or am i missing-out? that's a hateful thought. i'm haunted by the fact that i haven't seen all the movies in the world yet, but that day is coming, mark my words!
Yeah, Delicatessen is MONEY MONEY MONEY.Also, I watched Dr. Stangelove for the first time in Hanover. I need to rent and watch that one again.
in watching dr. strangelove with you. i have wanted to see that for some time, but stupid blockbuster by my house doesn't carry it. and i dont really rent anywhere else (go figure)
I like them. They are cheaper and you don't feel as though you've sold out to the man. But, I will admit that their collections are smaller and depending on the store you feel different degrees of shadiness....
Christina Ricci recommendation- The Opposite of Sex
It would be cool if Rolling Stone would do a year of covers that were not intended to be sexy at all. Or were sexy, but without skimpy clothes, or something like that. They're so shameless, it's totally embarassing.
they used to be a cheap tabloid printing like your usual city free weeklies. They'd have photos of rockers and bands on the cover, in pretty straightforward poses. Now they're just another Vogue.
the opposite of sex and sleepy hollow - fall into the category of so-good-i-wish-i-hadn't-seen-it. tops on that list for me would be buffalo 66, a movie so good it's a tragedy i can't be surprised by it again for the first time. i confess that her (christina ricci's) part is nominally a supporting role, but she anchors the whole thing if you ask me, which no-one did. interesting how an almost choruslike, internal-audience part can make or break a film, especially considering that the movie's most outstanding character trait seems to be its personal-artistic-statement-type thing - a very male, lonely, kind of formal/stylistic exercise, focused on the acute mental anguish and f*ed-uppedness of the pathetic and sorry-assed protagonist. vincent gallo, if you haven't seen it, which if it's true is very sad, and a sadness you should remedy with all due speed in a dark room with a big stereo alone with the shades pulled down at about 2am with the volume on earbleed, especially for the opening credits. i like to believe that once we were warriors copped its opening setup from buffalo 66, but i'm sure vincent gallo copped it from one of his betters, which doesn't stop it from being my favorite opening credits ever (that i can think of right now). and that's not to start gushing about the soundtrack and its loveliness.
yikes, that's a lot of wannabe-film-school-prick fragrant-cow-pie-chucking. now i remember why i stopped writing.
jen and i rented three kings last night. we hadn't seen it before. it was really good! waaaaaaaayy better than i thought it would be. go rent it if you haven't seen it.
Didn't like it. It was all waaaaay too forced. It's probably the best performance ever in a film by a rapper, though.
Ice Cube in anything is better than Marky Mark. i thought 3Kings was alright. wasn't amazed. but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
jen and i just rented The Princess and the Warrior on the recommendation of barefootjumper and it was a rad movie. give it a try. it does have subtitles. so, if your not in the mood to read a movie maybe wait till you are or else you'll miss out on a good flick.
LL Cool J in Deep Blue Sea (movie previously mentioned by me as a bad movie that wasn't so bad) LL's character makes me laugh throughout the whole flick. And nothing is better than a movie that makes fun of itself... Smart sharks- what a great plot...
Unless you are madly in love with special effects.... it can wait for video.
So I heard that LL Cool J stands for "ladies love cool James". Is that true? Is that not toally lame?
that is totally cool! like cool with a "k", like vanilla ice kool! as it says at the end of the credits to his totally kool movie, kool as ice (or is it "cool as ice"?), "be kool - stay in skool!"
Things that are kool:HAH! It's a Jeopardy category! "He and his gang like to 'celebrate'." bzzzz "Who are Kool and the Gang alex?" "Correct, 500 dollars to Bob." "Great! I'll take 'Cool with a K' for 800."
- kool and the gang
- kools (cigs)
- ryan "kool" richardson
- kool mo dee
- kool keith
- kool daddy fresh
- kool g. rap
- phil kool
- kool-aid
Umlauts are Kühl. Or something.
like for instance max headroom is kool. it's on techtv right now. being a blank is kool.
we just rented vanilla sky. i seem to remeber alot of people not getting it or what ever. i thought it was really Kool. i'd like to see the film by Alejandro Amenábar that it was based on, Abre Los Ojos. has anyone else seen these movies? by the way cameron crowe is the man. he has the greatest soundtracks ever.
saw it, and it was acceptable. it's one of those foreign films that i might not have been able to enjoy if i was a native speaker, but watching the subtitles allows me to forgive what i suspect is crappy dialogue and trite pseudophilosophizing and concentrate on actors' gestures and emotional investment. beyond that, i mainly remember that the lady is hella-enchanting, and it's probably worth a watching just for her.
back when they were 2 for 1 at the shell on foster and kimball. and that was like $2 for 2 packs. awesome deal, horrible cigarette. don't ever smoke a menthol cigarette, folks. it will kill you, and it is not a pleasant experience.
this friday jen, tim mcginnis, myself, and any one that would like to join us will be going to the brew and view for:
7:00 Lord of the Rings 10:00 Royal Tennanbaums 12:00 National Lampoon's Van Wilder
can't wait to have a smoke with gandalf and a pint with the hobbits.
Royal Tenenbaums really makes me want to smoke in it. I hope this crowd is better than the crowd in the theater when i saw it originally.
Run Lola Run... Considers the possibility of take-backs- very good.
its a really cool movie. and i love the ending.
wow we had a good time at the vic last night. it was really cool to see Lord of the Rings and Royal Tenenbaums again. i'm so glad that laura and peter carlson took jen and i to see tenenbaums when we were in l.a.
it was a amazing to see the two towers previews too. it rocked!
a walk on the moon is your thing...diane lane ain't so bad herself!
road to perdition was just as great as they say it is.
which is a hell of alot better than they said minority report was.
any one want to chat about either of these?
RTP was pretty subpar. it seems like they didn't try at all to hit the emotions they wanted us to feel. just pretty blah, as far as im concerned. but it WAS better than i thought. i expected total cheese when i saw the trailer. so i was actually pleasantly surprised when i saw it. there were cool things about it, but i wasn't all that thrilled with it.
I don't get out much. I haven't had a tv since '96. I now live in a house with a tv that is only hooked up to a vcr. This, I like. Before now the only way I could watch movies was by renting dvds and watching them on my laptop. Yes, I'm a nerd. So, I've been out of the loop for a while, I need suggestions.Top 5 movies you own:
Top 5 movies you want to own:
Top 5 movies to rent:
Bottom 5 movies that people will tell me to rent or buy, but will make me lose even more faith in humanity and Hollywood:
Do it!
but i think i'll wait for smax to post the entree.
i read that the second DVD that is coming out in nov. will not be rated "R" and will PG-13. and will only be 30 min. more not the extra hour that was rumored. suck! we'll it will still be kick ass i'm sure.
the preview on the DVD i have for the superspectacularDVD in nov. says that there is only about 30 min. of extra stuff. but there are 4 discs, 2 of which have special features. i assume the other 2 discs are for the movie. don't you think that 2 discs would have more than an extra half-hour of stuff on them?
the 30 min. are extra movie time. so, instead of a 3 hour movie it is a 3 1/2 hour movie now. the other discs are with extra behind the scenes and what nots.
4 discs - 2 discs of previews = 2 discs for movie.
i think that 1 disc would be enough for 3.5 hours of movie, leaving another disc left over. but maybe im wrong, and they split it up between 2. i wish it was more than a half hour.
i agree.
Tuesday the 20th, Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo will be playing at Butler Field in Grant Park. Its free. Its all part of the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival.
anyone intrested in going? i think jen and i will be. it would be fun to get some people together and have a picnic.
i think dave clauson and aaron whitmer might be going as well. hope more can join us!
vertigo was fun except the end. maybe someone who hadn't seen the movie should post the end.
jena nd i just watched lst night "waking life." very cool. worth checking out.
Ok, so Judy and John are up the bell tower right, and then Judy turns into a nun and says, "Lord have mercy on their souls!" And then there's a scream. Fade to black.I'M STILL SHAKING FROM HOW FREAKY THAT IS.
David Lynch has nothing on Alfred "weirdo" Hitchcock. That dude had some serious issues.
yeah, what a weird ending. i mean, who is screaming? the nun? Judy? the Judy-Nun? John? Midge? talk about Alfred Bitchcock, gee whiz. why did they have to climb to the top of the belltower to turn into a nun, anyway? oh, i get it, its because the movie is called Vertigo, and J.Stewart is afraid of heights. or something.
Whatever happened to Midge? Obviously, she comes and visits Jimmy in the hospital again, and basically for the rest of her life makes awkward (and inevitably spurned) advances towards him.
we just watched in the bedroom again last night. we had erik, kels, pedro, anna, and whitmer over. it was a grad time. i love that movie. sad, slow, but amazing. so, real. please rent it.
Now don't go getting any dirty ideas... I figure some of you guys have already talked this around the room a million times, but I was just thinking last night... when Gandalf dove off Isengard, he wasn't holding anything he had lost down stairs, yet he seemed to have it later. Has anyone looked to see if it is the same staff? if so, how the hell did he get it?I am a little itchy to see the second instalment and I don't think anyone up here in the UP cares... they are too excited about hunting season... then snow mobile season... then fishing season... oh, and as always, beer. I guess you toss a cat in the water but that doesn't make it a fish.
Yeah, I've wondered that same thing.
that has been noted in the LOTR discussions. it is presumably the same staff. but it is unclear how he gets it back. it is also something that isn't explained in the book, either. unless my geek has waned, that is.
Well, the books also don't specify that Gandalf and Saruman have it out in a battle of the staffs in the palantir room- in fact, in the books, Gandalf doesn't find out Saruman has a palantir til the 2nd book. From the books, I get the idea that Saruman tricked Gandalf into going onto the room rather than thrusting him up through sheer rock by magic, and if that is the case, there would be no reason for him to have lost his staff at all...
For Pedro- "Can't you control your staff?"
or, he could have used magic powerful enough to somehow make gandalf's staff useless in opening the magically sealed doors or something.
Ok. So, I saw this for the first time the other day and thought it was pretty good, liking animated stuff as I do. However, it was kind of bitter for me to see that the main monster in the moive gets to sleep until 6:05 in the morning when I have to get up at 5:30..... The fact that I noticed that was pretty sad....
this movie was alot better than everyone made it out to be. jen and i thought it was really funny. great dvd rental. the bloopers are high- larious. devito + stiller + williams + norton = funny.
...but alh remains skeptical. I'm interested.
Took my sister to see Tuck Everlasting- I'm telling you small syblings are indispensible if you are a sap who likes kids movies (even though she will soon not qualify as small, and then what will I do?). It was ok. It deviated quite a bit from the children's book (which is marvelous) in the plot, but they captured the themes dead on. Over all, an teary-eyed thumbs up.
This is the site for current movies..... But we can use the other one if you prefer....
but the title has NOTHING to do with movies... i don't get it... heh
Saw Harry Potter:Chamber of Secrets last night (I'm over in the UK this week for work, and it's released here already). HIGHLY recommend it-- I think it was better than the first. Staying in Oxford right now, a couple blocks from Christ Church, one of the Oxford campuses. They filmed a lot of both movies there (great hall scenes, a lot of staircase scenes). I toured the campus before seeing the movie, which made it all that much more cool. Since I saw the first film, it's probably easy for me to say that "you could see this movie and enjoy it if you haven't seen the first one." I was a bit hesitant going into the whole thing, figuring that it being a sequel, it would cop out to more of a "look what the producers can do with their FX super-computers" movie, but the plot was really engaging, and quite hilarious even for a big kid.
dont you know, harry potter is evil.
The best part of that tract is the final panel: "Samantha, you'll need a Bible to erad every day...a King James Bible. It's the only English version Satan hasn't messed with."
I don't particularly care for Jack Chick or tract evangelism or some of the silly things I've read in tracts, however, just on a whim I thought I'd see what the Pagan Federation, an english organization of wizards, witches, covens, and everything neo-pagan, might have to say about the Harry Potter books. Their website is not very 'search friendly' so I did a general google search instead.Seems that Christians are not the only ones that view the Harry Potter Books as stirring up an interest in witchcraft(as well as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The Pagan Federation is apparently recieving a lot of inquiriers from young readers. Of course, if you're under 18 they wont send you material without parental consent.
Now if...if Harry Potter books create an interest in witchcraft, and given that certain Christians claim this, and given that some Pagans recognize this and set out to accomadate a growing need (according to the Pagan Federation, a need created by the failure of the Christian Churches), then I think we can move beyond the seemingly foolish claims of seemingly foolish christians on this subject.
I think that at some point the question becomes whether or not this is a good thing; if you're a pagan, great; if you're a christian, not so great.
Anyways, I'm not sure quite where I going with this, but I guess this is where you all come in.
Well...
is where that belongs. what about the 'caught' one? give me a break. i just adore how sleeping with bathsheba is stealing because he "stole another man's woman"
you're evading the question.
it already appeared in the Onion.
upon further reading I'm not sure what your comment was in reference to, perhaps to what I wrote or to something else. If to something else, please disregard the above comments.
first, i think she was referring to this.and i for one, love the story of david. great men can do horrible things. but that story being in scripture where people can learn from it is a whole lot different from the paperback version of the "starr report" going for 6.99 at your local bookstore. isnt gossiping a sin?
but speaking of bookstores, (and not to mention getting this discussion back to movies), i was pleasantly suprised to see this in the covenant book store a few weeks ago. not really being a potter fan, i dont plan on reading it. but i'm always happy to see people, especially christians, take the high road. especially when someone takes the time and effort to write a book. oh yeah, it was right next to this.
also, in the summer of 2001 i volunteered at half a dozen covenant camps. while at mission springs, (santa cruz, ca) this guy was the speaker. one morning during morning chapel (which is entirely outdoors, and were it not for the cross made from tree trunks, could conjure up pagan images) he spoke to 200 4th, 5th, and 6th graders about how harry potter is leading them into satan's trap. he told horror stories about 13 year old girls seeing devils and stuff. half those kids had to have been potter fans. i had some really good talks with those kids. most of them felt that idea was way over their heads, or that he was being ridiculous. imagination is imagination.
the problem is, if the christian publishing industry is afraid of "evil" books stealing thier dollars, they need to offer up something cooler than this as competition.
jrr would totally waste bibleman in a fight. hey that'd be a good celebrity death match.
ok i'm done.
ok wait. i just realized something...i in no way intended to imply that i hold up william jefferson clinton as a "great" man.
just for the record.
when i posted my reply about the onion, your reply was not yet there [somehow it ended up before mine,though. interesting]i think those tracts are silly and uncle bob is a putz. they are caricatures of christianity.
p.s. captain: did you pose a question that i was to evade?
maybe this will do the trick: as far as harry potter leading people to interests in witchcraft; i think it's much more likely than those pamphlets leading anyone to god.
So I was at a party session aound here with some very unChristian friends. They actually collect those little Chick books as a joke. It's kind of a contest to see who can get the most of them. I don't think they're working.
barefootjumper Seems I posted right before you did. I was a little puzzeled, but the Onion reference you made reminded me of the Onion article about how some 9 year old conjured up Satan after reading Harry Potter, so I took your entry as a reply to mine, and as such, another example of the dismissive attitude I was trying to call into question.The rest of your entry about stealing another man's wife was a bit more enigmatic, especially since it was in fact a reference to a Jack Chick tract I was unaware of. Again, I read it in light of what I had written and felt it was evasive in that seemed to read the conflict between some christians/pagans in a suspicious way, that maybe christians are more concerned about sheep stealing than witchcraft.
The question in question is implicit in the hypothetical statement concerning the claim of the books stirring up interest in witchcraft. Although the claim seems ridiculous, if it can be substantiated, and to some degree it apparently can be, then we need to move beyond 'those silly fundamentalists' and seriously engage its implications. My apologies for not being clear.
Ultimately, the issues surrounding the Harry Potter books do not concern thier entertainment value, the author's ability to write, or any risk they pose to mature teenagers or adults, but whether these children books are in fact appropriate for children.
Once agian, My apologies. I will end with two personal anticdotes on the impressionableness(?) of children. Two movies my parents did not want me to watch were Jaws and Empire Strikes Back. They felt that Jaws was too frightening and they were uneasy about the central role of the Force in ESB. To this day I cannot swim (actually I can stay aflot as well as dogpaddle a few yards) because of the panic I feel while in water, especially murky water. Also, I spent years as a kid laying on the top bunk trying to lift Lincoln Logs up off the floor with the power of my mind. But hey, those are some outstanding movies, and look, we're back on track.
please give this movie a try. at first it might seem dark, well it is but, it's not what you think. please check this out. val kilmer at his best other than maybe tombstone or real genius. no, really he is great. and the movie is cool. if you liked memento you might like salton sea.
This might not be the perfect place for this post but I know some of you might be very excited to check out this bizarre scene:Star Wars Christmas Special Capsule by Jonathan Rosenbaum From the Chicago Reader
A 1977 television special, with Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and those cuddly robots.
This movie is currently playing at: Delilah's, 2771 N. Lincoln, Chicago, Sunday, December 15, 6:00, 773-472-2771
the documentary of the making of mermaid avenue. brings you through the process nora guthrie, billy bragg, and wilco went through to bring woody guthrie's unrecorded lyrics to life.i adored this movie. 'this land is your land' started inducing awe and tears around age seven for me.
scotland,pa was a cool movie that jen and i watched last night. really worth checking out. it's one of those "dark comedies" that us kids like so much these days. but, it's based on "McBeth" and takes place in the 70's. so, if you like Fargo, William Shakespeare, and or BAD CO, then scotland,pa is the movie for you.
the pianist.
This is Peter Jackson's best movie! J/K. I hope you've seen it:I saw this when it first came out and loved it. This pulled no punches.
AuditionI had to the chance to see it in Chicago at the Landmark Century but the drive was too far for only a movie (although I did drive to Chicago to see Requeim for a Dream when it first came out..but come on, it's Aronofsky and Hubert Selby.) On top of that I didn't have the guts to see this movie when it first came out. The poster, the idea of needles being put where they really shouldn't be, and the stories I heard about people walking out during the last 15 minutes kind of freaked me out. The film also received an NC-17 rating but was later changed to "Not Rated". A lot of critics said that it's one of the most disturbing and disgusting films they've ever seen...so I had to see it. When I heard that it was coming out on Region 1 DVD, I bought it immediately. My girlfriend decided that she didn't want to see it, based on what I had told her, so I was stuck alone in a dark room with this horrifying film. I won't go into lengthy detail about the plot (that's what imdb.com link is for). What I can tell you is that this is one effective shocker of a film. Really well made. This is not for the weak of heart, but you just have to see it.
Gummo may be the most disturbin movies I've ever seen. The trailer doesn't do it justice.There are many aspects that make it disturbing, from the discusting conditions that the characters live, to the content, to the soft core porn bits with kids, to the.... the list goes on and on. However, the most disturbing part of the movie is that certain parts of the movie reminded me of kids I grew up woth and how they live, and how they probably still live.
Not sure I should jump into the fray at this point, especially given that most of you who know me seem to think I can't shut up about movies, so I'll only go into the new stuff.Adaptation - another brilliant collaboration from the guys who did Being John Malkovich. In my humble opinion, it's a superior film, and well worth watching if you think film has any merit beyond entertainment.
The Hours - Sublime. The dialogue reminded me of the kickass improv class we had at NPU, or the acting and directing scene with Erik and Laura, so much subtext buried in simplicity.
Bowling at Columbine - Shmeful that this is my first Michael Moore film, me a documentarian and all, but I loved it. Much funnier and more moving than I would have expected.
Chicago - Good flick, and a lot of fun, but Fosse's missing. The actors surprisingly don't suck, but the editing is too hurried. It don't stack up against the greats, like Singin' in the Rain.
Two Towers - of course it was great, though the extended version will smooth out a lot of the rough edges in the story and the plot development.
About Schmidt - everything you could possibly ask for in a quiet, bittersweet road movie comedy with Jack.
Ok, that's enough from me. Maybe if I feel like it, I'll actually say something substantive.
Rented it. I thought it was pretty good. Jennifer Aniston was much better than I was expecting. And the small town pacing was perfect.
i too enjoyed it. but, thought she could have been a little more homely. she was still a little to treddy for little town nowheresville. great soundtrack.
the last two movies i saw were AMORES PERROS and Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN.(or, LOVE'S A BITCH and AND YOUR MOMMA TOO)
both are from mexico are now on dvd, and are absolutely incredible films. they both also feature the same actor- GAEL GARCIA GANEL who will be showing up in american films very soon. he is quite talented.
if you rent Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, be sure to get the unrated version and not the R rated version. it is a lot more sexually graphic but the R rated version omits about 15 seconds of film that, in my opinion, destroys the entire movie.
tadpole was the funniest movie i've seen in ages. it hit video stores today. go rent it!
I don't care for action movies, per se...I do like King Fu movies, though. But last night we rented The Bourne Identity and I nearly shat myself. Good stuff.
La Cité des Enfants Perdus is one of my most favorite movies ever, one of very few movies that i've owned multiple copies of. It's about a man who kidnaps children and tries to steal their dreams, with like, a couple jiggers (that's kind of like a big shot) of Jeunet mixed in just to make it neat. I like the darkness of it, and i especially like that the costumes were all done by Jean Paul Gaultier (just like the Fifth Element, though i'm not planning on buying that one just yet)and the music (score) is by Angelo Badalamenti (Lost Highway, Twin Peaks). I supposed the most notable character is "One" played by Ron Perlman, he's the only actor in this film that i recognise the name of. But a number of other actors are kindof in Jeunet's base of acting talent or something, cause some are in all of his films. Kindof like Steve Buscemi and the Coen brothers (or maybe it's just that buscemi is always available?) Anyway, this movie is really good, it's rated "R" by the MSDAP (a.k.a. the Mazi's, a.k.a. the MPAA) for "disturbing and grotesque images of violence and menace".Anyway I really can't wait to find out more info, and to see his new movie "Un long dimanche de fiançailles" hopefully it'll be as good as his others (Delicatessen, ?Alien: Resurrection?).
i recently saw this one for sale at best buy, for like, a dollar or something. anyway, it's a stephen king and it stars Pierce Brosnan, of "the tailor of panama" fame. I don't actually recall too much about it, but i thought someone else ( Pedro?)might like to jog my mind.
It's nothing like the short story. But you probably can't go far wrong for a dollar.
I loved that movie a long time ago...the story was so lame, but the special effects are still awesome. I'm into animation and 3D renderings, so I was all about this movie for years afterwords. Nice visuals. Stephen King later sued the director because it had little resemblence to his short story. On the DVD version I own, the director refers to Stephen King as only "the author". Questions about the Lawnmower Man???...come to me.
Go buy TRON instead -- now THERE'S a visually groundbreaking movie about cyberspace. I thought Lawnmower man was sort of cliched. Not that TRON wasn't cliched, but imho TRON is much more original.neoacerbitas, try Amile (also by Jeunet). I like Delicatessen better than City of Lost Children, but I should give City a second chance. Both of course star Dominique Pinon, who is fabulous. He was also the coolest character in Alien: Desecration.
of course tron is awesome. you may remember watching it at work when i rented it a few years ago. But TRON doesn't cost this little.also, i own amelie, it's good but i don't like it as much as his other works, i would like to see some of his earlier stuff but it's pretty hard, if not impossible to find. I'll get delicatessen when (if ever) it comes out on dvd. When i saw Deli i was definitely not ready for him, although i did enjoy it.
oh well
...with barefootjumper. By all means see The Pianist.
Amelie, as a film, is a large leap forward for Jeunet as a filmmaker. I'm speaking in terms of aethetics and influences. Amelie takes the typical conventions of romantic comedy and tosses them out as well as broadening the scope and tone of his shots, editing and pacing. But the sound design is unreal!Now, City of Lost Children is still one of my favorite films. I think it's one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. Certainly worthy of standing next to Brazil and Blade Runner. So, pedro, yes, Ithink you should check it out again.
Just saw Roger Dodger and Gangs of New York.Roger Dodger is one of those films that makes me glad that we have independent films. It takes a lot of chances, most of which pay off. Campbell Scott's performance is captivating. If you like In the Company of Men, give the film a try.
All I have to say about Gangs is Scorcese is in great form and the last few moments fo film blew me away.
I remember when scinatfilm used to work at the blockbuster at foster & pulaski and we used to show up there on a friday night with no clue as to what to rent. He would lead us around the store offering of recommendations and reviews and we would always go home with something good to watch. Also, since we seem to discuss Jenuet at least once a year, I would just add that Delicatessen is an excellent film and I'm still mad at Pepsi for ripping it off for a commercial.
possibly the worst film of the year. if anyone can watch cameron diaz in that movie and not laugh out loud, i give you credit. you are one of the strong.
I went to see gangs with not only my dad, but also my mom and my sixteen year old sister. I've never seen a movie with less of an excuse for sex and violence. It was good because D. Day-Lewis was in it, and that other guy that was in it for like, five minutes (good thing he got out early) but that's it. D. Day is only good because he plays the part so well that i could hardly respect him for taking such a role after the movie was over, which is another complaint, let get over this epic movie bullshit. Think of all the things you could've done with that extra hour of movie INSTEAD of watching people have coitus. I not that big into watching other people have sex, but if i'm going to do it, that's what i have the internet for ( not to mention the credit card # generator...just kidding). Anyway, there are so many other movies that could've been that violent but weren't, and could've had that much booty, but didn't, probably because most other movie directors realise that people know about fighting and killing...not to mention sex, ergo they don't figure they have to show it to us in all it's "splendor" just to make sure. Whatever, maybe i'm just not artistic enough to appreciate what he was trying to do, or maybe i respect the use of celluloid much more.Begin flameware here, but be advised, i don't care if you think i'm wrong, and you won't change my mind.
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I can't believe I'm doing this, but it's the stuff of a good discussion, so I may as well throw my 2 cents in. I wanted to clarify some of my earlier comments about "Gangs of New York."First, while Scorcese is certainly not at the level of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull or The Last Temptation of Christ, he is nevertheless putting together a film that is much better than the rather average stuff he's been doing lately.
Second, I didn't love the film. I thought it had many strong points and some weak points. Daniel Day-Lewis was great, of course, though his accent faltered once or twice. Leo did a reasonable job. Cameron Diaz, though she's made some poor choices, does good work in the independent stuff I've seen, but she didn't blow me away here either. Brendan Gleeson (the barber), Liam Neeson (the priest) and John C. Reilly (the cop) were also splendid as usual, but didn't get enough screen time.
Third, I could have done without the incessant flashbacks. Why do we need to be reminded of something we saw five minutes ago?
Fourth, I've been waiting for a film on the NYC riots for years, not to mention an honest film about the Irish immigration (especially after Far and Away). And that's where the film's strength lies. It's a gritty film about the streets of New York, which is what Scorcese does so well. And that brings me to the next point
Fifth, regarding the sex and violence, Braveheart and Titus were far more violent, and Shakespeare in Love had far more sex. I agree that gratuitous sex and violence are not necessary, but I don't agree that sex must be "artistic" to be portrayed on film. For one thing, sex isn't always a pleasant experience, especially when it comes to the characters that are often portrayed in films: the lower classes. There are very few films about the middle class unless you count romantic comedies, which are almost all about the middle class.
Sixth, regarding the middle class question, George Bernard Shaw spent much of his creative energy poking fun at middle class morality. If there's going to be a film about people who engage in this type of lifestyle, then let's be honest about it. While I was disturbed by Monster's Ball, I respected the filmmakers for taking risks. [And some of it reminded me of the scene that Erik A. and Laura L. did in acting & directing at NPU] And just for the record, one thing I do respect about Cameron Diaz is that she's never appeared nude in any way shape or form in any of her films. With Gangs of New York, there was ample opportunity, and the only nudity in the 2 1/2 hour film was a brief, though gratuitous, scene that illustrated the callousness and the vice of the villian.
Seventh, regarding violence, I find it rather disturbing that Americans don't mind seeing people blown to bits or dying in a hail of gunfire but can't stand any mention of sex. Europeans, from all I've heard (and this is admittedly second-hand knowledge) feel exactly the opposite. In fact, Bowling for Columbine goes into this issue at great length (good film, by the way) One possible reason for this is that American history is one of violence, which is exactly what Gangs of New York is attempting to illustrate.
OK, I'm going to get off my soapbox now and prepare for the deluge of disagreements that are bound to come. I welcome them; I'd really like to hear people's thoughts. After all, that's what art is supposed to do, right?
lukas, it's hard to go wrong with the AFI's list of 100 Greatest Films. I don't know how to hyperlink, but it's on afionline.org.
They are building a new theater two blocks from my apartment. It's called the AFI Silver Theater and it looks like it's almost finished. They are kicking off the opening with a documentary festival. Big Sci Films should enter something!
I really didn't like it. Sam Rockwell was good as a one-dimensional smarm. Drew Barrymore was good as a one-dimensional stand-by-your-man kind of girl. Julia Roberts was bad as Julia Roberts. George Clooney actually added some dimension to a one-dimenstional G-man. Rutger Hauer was great as a German assassin. (I think Rutger Hauer is great in general and I like seeing him get good roles.) The sets and music and all that stuff was really cool, the movie did not lack for production, but I really didn't feel like the script was that good and the movie seemed pretty predictable in general. So anyway, I don't recommend it, but that's just my $.02.
scinatfilm:regarding your comment about sex in film having to be "artistic." you're right on. fuck that! real life sex hardly ever looks like the shit in shakesphere in love, and it hardly ever looks like porn either.
it looks like the sex scenes in "y tu mama tambien"-- some of the most beautifully gritty and honest ones ive ever seen.
as i said before, make sure you get the UN-RATED version.
i'm viewing this page from a different computer-- mine still freaks out on this entree.
ok, so this is kind of old, but...i remember reading this review for 40 days and 40 nights a year ago and cracking up.
breaking the waves. if you want gritty and realistic, there you go. it's awkward and exciting, it fumbles and advances, it unites and divides. you know that no one watching it is really turned on by it because it looks like the sex people really have.
honestly, i just felt bad for scorsese. it felt like he had lost control of the movie; the whole thing became a wild horse on a rampage that bucked its rider. twenty five years might just be way too long to take to get a film together. if the movie had been made twenty years ago i believe it would have been much tighter, much less self-involved, and less meandering. by the time it reached us it was hardly historical, not at all intimate and the dialects must have been dipped in acid somewhere along the line.i don't think the movie he made is the one he wanted to make. but because it took so long and feels so grandiose and because it is finished, they have to pretend like it is what they wanted.
i agree with neoacerbitas, i was kind of mad at daniel day lewis for being so good and being involved in such a stinker.
about Breaking the Waves the other day! I'm glad that somebody has brought this one up. I didn't initially like the movie when I rented it...but recently caught it on the Sundance Channel and I couldn't shut it off. What an ugly movie. The last scene is a little far-fetched...but incredible.
Mostly in reply to the the long, Scinatfilm post, but also of bits of other posts as well,Ive never seen Cameron Diaz in a movie where she isn't thrown into tight, revealing clothes to show off her body, _Being John Malkovich_ excluded (though she was more of a caricature, a walking joke in that role, anyways, with the audience's knowledge of the babe under the make-up adding to the punchline. A lot of attractive actresses have kept their clothes on, but Diaz is being funneled into these roles, and she doesn't seem to mind.
I haven't seen G.O.N.Y., so i can't comment on anything there.
Sex: I don't think it's so much of a conscious acceptance of violence over graphic sex/nudity that causes viewers/mpaa/critics/republicans/insert noun to accept bruckenheimer/simpson-esque carnage without a second thought while shunning sexy sex, but more of an unconscious feeling of violation. Any person can enjoy a comedy or action film because one is distanced from the action, feels safe. And I don't think there are many people who are against stupid Porky's like nudity or sex, it's more about films that show the grittier, dirtier side. Being subjected to graphic sex onscreen is more intimate, emotional, etc. It can make us feel uncomfortable, self-conscious, dirty, etc., as it is voyeuristic in its nature and (for now) taboo. We don't feel that way in comedic movies with sex because it can be laughed off or dismissed.
For nearly a century, film has shown us action, bandits, monsters, shootings in scenes of violence, even graphic images (ex. Potemkin) Everyone sees some act of violence in public every now and then. Sex, however, is personal and private, and rightfully so in real life, is not graphically acted out in public. And even though we are in an age of sexual awareness, for many people, being thrust into a scene of graphic sex on a 70mm screen in front of them is violating. It's no wonder that many critically praised movies succeed by sucking in the viewer and making them feel queasy or incredibly sad/horrified/anxious, and are absolutely abhorred by some audiences. I love _Jacob's Ladder_ and _Last Tango in Paris_, but some people i know couldn't sit through it. It's really up to the viewer to try to differentiate between what is on the screen and what these things on the screen mean in terms of theme or mood or the whole artistic vision.
I type too much, but one more thing.
A bunch of articles have popped up about the medium's crawl towards showing _real_ sex onscreen. The topic has been around for years [I remember a rumor that Wayne Wang had his actors actually copulate in front of the camera in _Center of the World_ (c. 1999?)], but seems to have really gotten some press recently. There are a couple of European movies that have come out overseas in the past year or so that include real sex. _Baise Moi_ was one that i remembered reading about. They've been well received by audiences. THere's also a movie that's been made by Larry Clark which supposedly shows real people (teens no less) copulating. And the dude that made/starred in _Hedwig and the Angry Inch_ is also interested in making a movie with the real stuff in it. Who knows who will pick these films up for distribution and which theaters would actually play it. Re the G.O.N.Y. post, Euros _Do_ think us Yankees are silly for being such prudes. I could go on for eons about my thoughts on the positive and negative aspects of such a shift in realistic films, but maybe this topic will spark some replies by others. But Im sure the big argument will always be exploitative vs. artistic and the blurred line between the two.
What do people think of real actors having real sex onscreen?
"What do people think of real actors having real sex onscreen? "isn't that called porn?
regarding cameron diaz in G.O.N.Y.: I haven't seen the film, but an actor i am working with had this to say about her being cast for such a role:
"its like... 'yeah, well... nicole kidman was busy.' "
I don't know many porns that have "real" actors. in Center of the World, one of the actors is quite a real actor with real movies under his belt. And Wayne Wang is, of course, a real director, first made famous by _Smoke_ and _Blue in the Face_. So does that make Wayne Wang a porn director?
I never said anything about sex having to be "artistic", I said "maybe I'm not artistic enough to appreciate what he was trying to do..."The reason that the sex in "And Your Mother As Well because it's exactly what you want to see in that film, it's beautiful because it's honest, but not gritty, it's the most honest, innocent sex ever, straight up adam and eve shit. It would be possible to say that the movie is about how sex drives everybody apart. Also, it's "and your mother as well", and don't you mean, make sure your roommate gets the un-rated version?
;-)
I realize that I'm going to be going out on a limb here, but why do we have to have so much sex in movies, anyway? Could it possibly be because people *like* watching sex? I'll admit that there are movies where sexuality and nudity really are essential to the plot (and some of those movies are extremely graphic), but by and large, we're making basically the same kinds of movies as we were making 50 years ago -- where the curtain falls and time passes -- only now the curtain doesn't fall, but the love theme streams in from the stereo next to the billowing curtains. How often, in 90% of the movies that are out there, is the dialog or the story being told by that scene essential in a way that couldn't be told differently? Pretty rarely, I think.Now, I realize that if nobody has any moral or ethical issues with sex and nudity and whatnot, then hey, what's the big deal, people like watching others have sex, so let's just do that rather than find a more creative way to tell a story or make our movie appealing. After all, audiences pretty much expect sex scenes.
It just seems to me like movies are trashier, basically for no reason other than because people sitting at home like to watch beautiful naked people get it on. I for one hate going to a movie and finding myself attracted to and enjoying watching complete strangers humping each other for my entertainment. It's embarassing for me, and I'm embarassed for them.
I know that I probably stand alone on this one, and I'm getting to be more comfortable with that.
...what was I just saying about rants?
pete, you bring up a pretty good point.i totally agree with you 100%. if i'm seeing a regular movie and getting turned on, and my getting turned on is distracting me from the story being told, then there's something wrong.
again, thats what porn is for.
as you said, back in the "good ol' days" of film, it would be indicated that humping was about to occur, a witty and/or sexy line would be uttered, and we'd fade out and into another scene after some time had passed and, presumably, humping had occured. in many cases, NOT showing nudity or sex and merely IMPLYING or HINTING at the occurance of it it as lot MORE sexy and hot than the alternative.
if sex is in a film, it better be there for the same reason as everything else: to aid the storytelling. i mean, censorship can eat it, but bad storytelling can eat an even bigger "it."
mercurymouth, barefootjumper and instantcofi, coming from a film school perspective, what comments do you have on this subject?
still, my favorite closing shot from any movie ever has got to be boogie nights. you finally see that twelve-incher, diggler says:
"i am a star. i am a big, bright, shining star,"
cut to black, cue the music, roll the credits.
...is that it's really easy to get used to seeing it in movies, until you reach the point that it just doesn't really affect you anymore (violence, of course, is the same way in many ways).I get uncomfortable pretty easily partly because i'm just a Sensitive Kind of Guy, but mostly because I pretty rarely watch movies with sex in them, or even much TV for that matter. I make myself live a pretty sheltered life in that regard. But for someone who doesn't, I suppose there's even less of an occaision to be either titillated or embarrassed. I'm not sure I want that.
i think we could do with less of it in movies. there is a lot of gratuitous sex in movies. i try to pick out the ones i know will have that kinda crap, and luckily they end up 90% of the time being exactly the films i have no interest in seeing.
but when i DO see sex in movies, it hardly fazes me anymore. perhaps im de-sensitized. i don't know. but i have never found myself turned on by a sex scene in a 'real movie'
i will admit to having been turned on by the sex in a porn-flick before.
Wags: Mulholland DriveCmon.
That scene was "The Bomb"
I'm one of the few not into the lesbian thing, but that scene was some pretty hot shit.I agree Fook.
Screenwriting or Directing 101 will always stress that every storyline/scene/beat/motion should further the story. And this is in regards to that which furthers the story. Bad storytelling can always eat a bigger "it"The point of the action in many films is to evoke some sort of emotion from the viewer. It must engage the viewer, otherwise the audience is just and only that, a "viewer", and not part of the movie, and that distances ourselves from the movie by definition, which is the #1 sin a film can committ, for the most part. If a scene onscreen makes someone feel aroused (and by that, "part of the action") then it's the same, or at least similar to someone being frightened by a horror or moved by a drama. Using a sex scene as an example, if it doesn't turn someone on, if it isn't engaging, then it better be for symbolism or to further the plot or complement the mood, or else it's gratuitous. (I agree completely, Ulysses, on that point) If one feels no fright or anxiety watching a horror film, then one deems that film as trash. If one is not moved by the story in a drama, then that film is trash. But if one actually _is_ aroused by a scene of sex, then that scene is trash?
And there's the whole thing of how, through conditioning, people are okay with the violent and the frightening, but not with the sexual.
If all sex scenes become self-reflexive to you, then you simply won't be able to watch any movies with sex in them, which is unfortunate, but that's more of a personal thing, and shouldnt really be a fault of the movie (not that it is the fault of the viewer, either...it's just personal taste)
But either way, yeah, there's way too many crap movies out there...1 good for every 10 bad, and too many people using sex and violence for the wrong reasons. But there are plenty of films out there that use sex and violence beautifully, and a beautiful sex scene or act of violence should be applauded. And especially in sex scenes, I'm thankful that sex doesn't only have to be hinted at or implied, as it was in the past.
There are only (I forget...its been too long) 7 or so types (say archetypes) of films that all the millions of films that have been made can be categorized in. The same stories are told over and over and over again, and the only way they will ever remain fresh and vital in the future is if they are told in different, newer, innovative ways, whether that means using different cameras, newer schools of editing theory, animation, special effects, or breaking down barriers that have previously existed. Dear God, how could _Clerks_ possibly have been made 30 years ago? _Last Temptation of Christ_, _Bowling for Columbine_, "Celebrity Boxing"...er...wait...nevermind.
ya it was pretty good...for me to poop on! that was the biggest waste of time movie ever. lame,lame,lame,lame, lame, lame.
dogmanphil rules. In the theatre, I should have said "for me to poop on!!!" when the credits started rolling.
I agree about sex in the movies. I'm married, I'm certainly no prude and wasn't even before I was married. But I agree 100% with you. The sex in the movies cheapens them for me, and I get frankly irritated and pissed off when it seems to have no purpose. It was a lot more arousing to me emotionally when the scenes ended before the sex began - a nice steamy kiss, you know what's going to happen next, but why should I have to watch it? It cheapens movies and it cheapens the act of sex, in my opinion. And it is embarassing to watch. Porn, you know what you're getting and that's the point of it. Movies, enh, why bother with it?Then again, I don't like gratuitous violence or frightening things in movies either. The directors these days seem to be seeking the shock value. When I see a movie, I want a plot that's a complete draw, and none of the distraction from having to look away from someone's arm being ripped off or from jumping out of my skin when a dude with no lower jaw comes back and starts haunting someone's lame campsite, know what I mean? What happened to the days of seeing, well, take Hitchcock. Nothing gratuitous but man was that some creepy stuff, thrilling, inventive, and fascinating.
ok, fook, you make a really good point.my joke about "isnt that porn?" was more in relation to what is REAL and what is NOT. most porn sex looks fake, even though it is real. if sex is in a movie, and the action of two people having sex aids the storytelling, and its good storytelling, fine. but i could care less wether its REAL or not.
i mean, if i see, for example, a character slap someone in a movie, i think "wow, that charcter was pissed. they wanted to hurt someone." if i read in some magazine a few months later that the only way the film's director could get the scene to go right was by having the actor ACTUALLY slap the other actor and make it hurt, i might find it to be a fascinating little bit of trivia, but it doesnt make the film's plot any better in my mind. i myself am an actor and i have been fake slapped and real slapped on stage, and as long as the audience believes it, its real. regardless of what i'm feeling on my cheek.
but that's stage acting... a whole different bag.
Real sex between actors for the sake of storytelling. Again, I know that I'm sort of conservative on this point compared to the rest of the world, but I still think of sex as a sacred thing, and I would have a really hard time supporting a movie that had the actors physically have intercourse just for the sake of better storytelling. There's a sense in which that is courageous and adventuresome, and probably does add to what makes it on film, and I can recognize that and in a detached way, appreciate that. But for me on a practical, moral, and spiritual level, that's too much (completely outside of whether I find it arousing or not) -- it seems like misaligned priorities.I'm not going to eat shrooms (a pretty innocuous drug or so I'm told) just so I can truly know the experience myself, even though I can recognize a sort of legitimacy in knowing an experience firsthand, and even though I would really like to know what it's like. And that probably means I will never really know what it's like, nor will I be able to fully convey what it's like to another person because I do not know myself. But I came to terms with that reality some time ago.
There's an analogy between those paragraphs, but I'm not going to draw the lines myself.
never saw Mullholland Drive. so i can't say i was turned on by it. maybe i would be, who knows?
<rant>im with pedro on this one, i think. i mean, we know its a movie. that its a story being told, not documented. we don't need the realism of sex on screen. sex IS a sacred thing, and it is not to be taken lightly. part of whats wrong with the world today is casual sex, and how lightly it is taken. no matter how unimportant it may be intended, it cannot be that. and it will mess people up in ways they wouldn't be messed up if they had taken sex more seriously. </rant>
For completely drawn plots I recommend any movie by John Sayles. My favorite is Limbo. It's actually one of my favorite movies ever. It's a small story set in Alaska. Everything from the characters, to the music, to the stories within the stories, to the unusual ending is superb. Other Sayles movies are Matewan, Lone Star, and Sunshine State. They'll renew your faith in modern moviemaking.
I think that it is almost dangerous to talk about actual sex in movies being cutting edge. Especially if critics get behind the idea and talk about how real sex scenes are better than acted sex scenes. There is already enough pressure for actors, both male and female, to take their clothing off on camera... If "real" sex becomes an expectation- acting may become closer to prostitution than it's been in a couple hundred years...
Sex on screen has needed realism, as in Gods and Monsters, I mean come on the sex scene between Halle Barry and Billy Bob is so graphic and raw that it makes you uncomfortable, and that's what it was intended to do, there are situations where it fits, and I think that is a perfect one, it really lets you into what the characters are feeling, it was gratuitous, but had severe impact, which is what that movie was intending.
I know what you mean, but I'm finding that I just care less and less for movies that require that kind of storytelling. There are already enough things in my head that I wish weren't there.
Has anyone seen Waking Life?I like it. Some don't. Excellent Artwork
is why does a completely naked woman get an "R" whereas when there's a little floppycock in a film it's like, immediately "NC-17"? Funk dat.I bought a movie the other day, probably the first one in a long time that doesn't have and sex in it. It's called Nine Queens, the only remotely sexual part is when a guy kisses this lady, but that's only to distract her from the fact that he's stealing her cigerettes (i think, i'll have to watch it again).
Sorry if anyone felt that i justified or was a thumbs up for real sexual contact being used in movies, because Im not. I don't see any real reason for people to have true sex onscreen.Seems like people are confusing two threads that I spun off in involving 1) this new shift in filmmaking to use real actors having sex, and 2) sex scenes in general in films
And what i was sort of getting to in the whole "real sex" thread was more of not whether it's a good idea or necessary (i can't see many instances where actors having real sex would make any difference), but the sorta creepy way that film, and tv for that matter, is becoming more and more...anything goes, should i say.
Hitchcock did tons of gratuitous stuff. Not that that's bad. He's one of my favorite directors
Just so you know, my posts were more in reaction to conversations I've had elsewhere as much as they were to conversations here. It was more like, people are saying X, and I feel like I have to bring Y to the table, or something like that. SO please don't feel like I was upset with you or antyhign like that. Not so.
just so everyone knows:the more "floppycock" in a film, the better.
i think BigJ meant Monster's Ball, not Gods and Monsters. Monster's Ball was Halle Berry and B.B.Thornton. Gods and Monsters is Ian McKellan and Brendan Fraser. i didn't like G&M very much. and i didn't see Monster's Ball.
Well, it's certainly gratifying to see that I started such a heated discussion. (gives me a warm fuzzy) Sorry I had to step out of the diner for a few days. I just completed a massive move and the internet is finally back up. Thought I'd chime in with my three cents.FIrst, my intention was not in any way to imply that I am advocating more sex in film, or even more realism in sex scenes. [Not that anyone necessarily thought that, but I wanted to clear the air.]
Second, I firmly believe that implication can be much more powerful than explictness, whether it comes to sex, humor, or thrills. I thought I'd point out some classic examples.
Jaws: it's scary because you don't see the shark until 2/3 of the way through the film! ( on a side note, Spielberg has since revealed that this was because the shark didn't work properly).
One of my favorite sexy scenes of all time is in Streetcar Named Desire, the scene on the staircase. Wow, talk about hot. Another scene in the film is also one of the most brutal sex scenes I've seen, though nothing is actually shown.(acting/directing, wink, wink)
Two other exmples are To Have and Have Not (Bogie and Bacall's first film together) and Double Indemnity. The dialogue sizzles and the chemistry is unmistakeable.
In the humor department, one film that I think is highly overrated is Something About Mary. Someone pointed out (and I agree) that the infamous zipper scene could have been twice as funny and half as graphic with someone like Cary Grant (look at Bringing Up Baby and Arsenic and Old Lace for crying out loud!)
More than anything else though, implication pays the audience a great deal of respect. The best example I can think of is in My Best Friend's Wedding. The horny cousin has gotten into a situation: sh'e gotten her tongue stuck to an ice sculpture. "So what?" says Julia Roberts. And then the punchline: "It's a statue of the David." Now that in and of itself is funny. But then the camra "has" to pan and get the offending shot in. Not only did I not need to see it, but my intelligence was insulted.
Anyway, several people brought up Hitchcock, as they should. There's more freaky moments and genuinely sexy stuff in his films than in most stuff today.
But there is one detraction I'd add. A couple of times while watching an older film, I'd assume because of the standard steamy kiss setup that sex occurred. Bu then, later in the film, I'd have my doubts, based on dialogue and/or the story. So when is a kiss just a kiss?
Finally, to return to an earlier point, Fook mentioned (great posts, by the way) that sex is more intimate than violence, and it is, but shouldn't we feel just as violated seeing someone's head get blown off as seeing a partial sex scene?
So that there's no confusion, I'm just raising the issue of the cultural double standard. I myself am almost completely desensitized (not bragging, mind you) and I'm more interested in the emotional stuggles of the characters. I was also making the point that, at some level, film is supposed to be somewhat artistic and art should resonate emotionally and provoke thought and discussion.
fook, i had a really good taunt all written up but i couldn't get the <proj> tag to work so i couldn't refer you to the "banging goats" forum, so instead i'm just going to suggest that people that don't like seeing lotsa fluid swappin' go to this site to keep yourselves accountable.
is one of my favorite comedic actors, Bringing Up Baby was hysterical, as was ARsenic and old Lace, and thank you baggins for correcting me, you are right is was Monster's Ball, I like both movies though, and am looking forward to Gods and Generals, making another movie for me to mix up. Has anyone else noticed that there are more posts on here now than ever before, and it will soon be a full time job to just read it all!
I saw the two towers tonight, gosh, it took me long enough too. Some of it was really cheesy, like the CGI guys (or gals, could be gals) we getting lasy so they were like "yeah, the light source is a little of center in this scene, but nobody will notice" but i do. It was really great, so of the scenes kindof make me think of what I would think if Jesus came back. There was some really grrrrrrrrrrrrreat stuff in it, just like, one or two spots that we a little off (could've been better, not "weren't necessary" or "weren't in the book", just could've been better, not that i could've, just my opinion). So yeah, i enjoyed it.
last night was 'about schmidt' night with three quarters of the total roommateage.there were moments when i laughed so much that everyone else in the theater had faded their laughter out and i just had to shake silently with laughter and then all of a sudden i'd realize i was crying at the next scene.
you guys might think i was just having a breakdown, and that could be partially true. i can't say i've been entirely put together these days. but i think it was mostly the movie. it was wonderful. i loved it all. and it rings so true to the midwest, it made me nostalgic for my childhood.
and kind of in the vein of the whole sex discussion, kathy bates is phenomenally beautiful totally nude. i believe that the movie would have been less if they had not included that scene.
Igby Goes Down (on video). Man, what a great movie. The performances were spectacular, there was just the right balance of ambiguity to give an OK story exactly the right twist. It was somwhat similar to Wes Andreson's films, with a slightly different twist.and I (mostly) agree with kels on about schmidt. one of the finest films i've seen all year
I was subjected to these two hours of cinematic torture this weekend at my b.f.'s behest. He agrees that it totally sucked.Please, don't watch it.
I just watched About a Boy last night, and I thought it was great! Hugh Grant can be very funny. However, I'm sure I wouldn't classify the movie as anything great, but it wasn't torturous at all. Of course, when I did have TV, all I watched was the Lifetime channel.
I also talked to two friends at work today who loved it...of course it is personal choice.Besides, my opinions aren't always the one to take to heart, being that Joe Millionaire is the only thing I watch on TV (and soon that will be over...sniffle...how shall I spend my Monday nights?), and I watch maybe a movie a month and only like (on average) about one out of every three or four I see. Movies ain't my thing. The last movie I saw and really, really loved was Moulin Rouge.
I prepare for attack from 90% + of Diner customers who are movie buffs.
Check out Chicago. It's a fun film, and the three leads ain't half bad. Of course, the best numbers are "All That Jazz" and "Cell Block Tango"
I just watched Focus, which is an adaptation of an Aurthur Miller novel. It was quite good. Not in an About a Boy kind of way, it was, like, a good film. Oh, and, I thought that Moulin Rouge was visually very stunning, however, I despise musicals, and I wished that I had seen it as a silent film.
i absolutely loved Moulin Rouge. i thought it was really well done, from the songs, to the storyline to the visuals to the jokes to the pacing to the costumes. i am a big sap sometimes. of course, i TOO hate musicals. but this was really great.
Cinnamon, on your free monday nights you should hit the 'Wood for free pool night. there is usually a fair size crowd of cool cats there. im often there. 'twould be lovely to see your shining mug across a pint of Honey Brown Ale.
gettysburg, or glory, or any civil war movie? I have this problem where I get extremely emotional during civil war movies. Of course, the really good ones make up for the really crappy one, and kind of "destructive interference" thing. I can't wait for "Gods and Generals" to come out.I can't believe i cry at civil war movies, i still haven't figured out why, but i do, and it's a little concerning.
have any of you seen the television pruduction of "centennial"? It is possibly one of the most amazing things i've ever seen through the glowing phosphors of the cathode rays. Probably not too great by today's standards, but amazing nonetheless. I can remember how I loved getting my eye teeth pulled because I got to stay home for a day and watch the entire series in stead of going to school, like, seven hours in front of the tele or something.AMAZING
Focus-great movie! i posted about it back in may.
About a Boy- i too liked this movie. good rental.
is probably one of my top three favorite movies, ever. I will refer to what Baggins was saying about how awesome it is, and it is also just that awesome without being cheesy, just phenomenally over-the-top romantic and theatrical. But in a good way. And despite my usual avoidance of musicals, this wasn't even like what I had stereotypically defined them as--it just rules on its own merits.Scinat, I have heard mixed reviews of "Chicago," but definitley plan on seeing it. I'll tell you what I think. if it's anything like M.R., I know I'll like it. A good movie I saw recently (and as I said I like really few movies, not cause there aren't a lot of great ones because I don't watch many), was "Y Tu Mama Tambien." I loved the movie for what it was--amazing--but I took a Spanish class last semester and also enjoyed picking up the Mexican-Spanish slang. I never learned any of that in class!
Ive always loved musicals, and I loved Moulin Rouge. That movie is probably as good as it gets in musicals-terms for me...except for Singin in the Rain. Just saw Chicago last week and i thought it was fun in a look-at-the-actors sort of way. The sound wasn't that great at Webster Place where I saw it, so maybe that had a negative effect. I wasn't able to get very involved with the characters, and thus, the movie dragged. Pretty smart screenplay, though, in how they fit the musical numbers in there. The biggest problem for me was the non-Fosse-ness. I saw the broadway production in new york a few years back, and compared to that, the movie was plain boring
Fook, the absence of Fosse was the biggest disappointment with Chicago for me as well, but any musical these days is cause for celebration.As much as I like the traditional musicals, my favorites (aside from Singin' in the Rain, the greatest movie musical ever) are those by Steven Sondheim, especially Into the Woods. There's a filmed performance with Bernadette Peters that is extraordinary.
I also just just saw Y Tu Mama Tambien. Wow. what a great film
Another great rental is "Frailty" Really creepy independent film.
About a boy-- like it. I almost peed my pants in the talent show scene. But more than finding it funny, I thought it was honest and thoughtful (especially as Hugh Grant films go).
Moulin Rouge-- like it less than I'd like to (does that makes sense?). Thought it was clever and funny and romantic, but I didn't like that sensory overload and rush of it all...
Civil War films-- I always weep when Denzel Washington is getting "lashes" in Glory...everytime...
from CNN.com Clooney answers criticism BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- George Clooney reacted angrily when a journalist called the American actor's latest film -- the box office flop "Solaris" -- "boring" after it was screened at the Berlin Film Festival. Clooney, who had even exposed his bare bottom for the camera in one scene, was happily answering questions at a news conference when a reporter rose to say the film was boring. "I find you fascinating," Clooney said, responding to the Turkish journalist's remarks on the film -- which got decidedly mixed reviews in the United States. "You crack me up, man. You just wanted to get up and be a rat, you know that? You just wanted to get up and say something rotten. What a jerk! I mean honestly, you know, what a sh---y thing to say!" said Clooney. "You make a lot of films, do you?" Clooney asked rhetorically. "You make a lot of films yourself? Yeah, I'd like to see you make a film first before you get to talk about it. What a jerk!" "Solaris," directed by Oscar-winning Steven Soderbergh, flopped at the U.S. box office with revenues of just $15 million -- the same as the amount Clooney is said to command for his appearances.
Just saw "Full Frontal" last night. I want to make it very clear from the outset that I am NOT recommending this film, but I did like it and others who share my tastes (small number I know) might as well.I start with the disclaimer because of an incident in the now-infamous Burgh lobby. I was talking with ulyssess about Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, about the various merits of the film, how we like it, etc, as crtics are wont to do occasionally. I said at one point that I enjoyed something about the aesthetics of the film and isn't Kubrick great and went on with the conversation. Well, a few days later a friend of mine came up and gave me an earful. It seems that she had been passing by and overheard something that led her to go see the film at the theater and she was very upset because there were highly offensive elements in the film. I responded by saying that I didn't recommend the film to her, but if she had asked me directly I certainly would have steered her away from it.
All that to say that I am somewhat more careful these days about how people take my film comments. But back to Full Frontal. It's difficult to watch, but I really liked the mixed media, the improvisation, the student documentary feel of it. The characters were well-developed by the actors, especially in the whole "inner life" exercise that we actors go on about. It has a decidedly non-American structure, which most people aren't aware of, but is ingrained into our cultural consciousness. Like I said, if you don't mind a film that's got a foreign feel to it and low-budget filmmaking, you might like it.
But I came out of it thinking, "Say what you want about soderbergh, but he certainly stays true to himself as an artist, even when he's maikng Hollywood gloss like Ocean's 11, since he did Full Frontal just after."
Clooney being a case in point.What? Hit a nerve? No! Of course he didn't screw up Brother, where art thou simply by appearing in it. No way.
The diner doesn't let you use literal quote (") marks in a title. I haven't seen that feature in any other virgule implementation.
Mine came straight from CVS... so that's interesting.
Aftrer my last post, I found myself looking for a good discussion of comedies, that, for whatever reason, keep you laughing even after you've seen them twelve times. Maybe this should be a separate entree, but I thought I'd kick it off with a few classics, and my personal favorites:Some Like It Hot
Noises Off!
Clue
The Philadelphia Story
Let the laughter begin!
i thought this movie was really good. i wouldn't recommend it to anybody without mad disclaimers. and i wouldn't say i enjoyed it. but it was a good film, and i think it had some strong things to say.
and what a punk-ass b!tch. some random girl overhears you having a private conversation with somebody (not that 'private', but not directed at her anyways...) and hears you discussing the merits of a film and decides that is enough information to make her see the movie. then gets mad at YOU when she is offended by it? come on, candyass. lay off.
Nor can I always explain my views, but I liked Clooney in Ocean's Eleven and Out of Sight. I thought his timing in both were good- and I just enjoyed both of them overall.
I've always liked The Philadelphia Story but some of the human fraility hits close to home for me, so I have trouble thinking of it as a straight up comedy. (Of course, I don't have any other name for it- unless you want to go with the Shakespearian "problem comedy".)
Out of Sight was so incredibly good...
I also thought Eyes Wide Shut was so incredibly good
As far as movies that keep me laughing:
Duck Soup and Cocoanuts
Friday
Clerks
UHF
aside: Chicago got 13 nominations. It's even more incredulous when you think of how many good movies came out last year
Big Lebowski
all Kevin Smith movies
Meet the Parents
Mystery Men
Final Destination...
so who is going to see Final Destination 2 with me???
i copied this copywrighted article without permission from chicagotribune.com so you mo-fos dont have to register there... stupid chicago tribune....--------
Daley: 'Chicago' should have been filmed in Chicago
By Gary Washburn Tribune staff reporter Published February 11, 2003, 4:45 PM CST
Mayor Richard Daley liked the movie that bears his city's name. Except for one thing: It was made in Canada.
And, in a mild rant, Daley today called on the federal government to go reel-to-reel with our neighbors to the north, matching every dollar of film industry subsidy that they put on the table.
"Why not?" Daley asked in response to a question on Oscars competition. "I would rather have the people here working than going up to Canada."
"Chicago" led today's list of Academy Award nominees. The musical, adapted from the stage and set in the Prohibition-era Chicago of the 1920s, earned 13 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress (for Renee Zellweger) and Best Director (for Rob Marshall).
The Tribune's Michael Wilmington wrote in a Dec. 27 film review, "It's a shame Chicago (the city) mostly isn't around; this is another runaway production, shot primarily in Toronto. And though it's true that the film is a period recreation, it suffers from a lack of any real sense of the city, any open air -- or any views of Lake Michigan."
As a critic, Daley today gave the film high marks.
"The movie is great," he declared. "I said, 'Too bad it wasn't filmed in Chicago.' I really believe we have to get our priorities straight in Washington, D.C. ...You know, knock, knock, no one is home in Washington. They have to get reality. If they listen to people, they will find out what is happening."
Daley drew a parallel with the federal government's insistence on using tariffs to protect the domestic sugar industry, a policy that he said is driving U.S. candy makers to foreign countries where they can purchase their key ingredient at much lower prices.
"We are going to put hundreds of thousands of people out of work here in the United States," he declared, still steaming over Chicago's loss of Brach's and other candy producers. "In the next three years, they won't be making any candy here in America."
Daley said he spoke with Robert Altman, who in 2002 was the last moviemaker to shoot in Chicago with "The Company," a film about young woman who joins the Joffrey Ballet.
"He used the workers here, and I said, 'How was it?' He said, 'Great.' Did you have any problems? 'No way. They were good workers. No problems.' "
Things were going fine until the northern neighbors upped the ante without response from the U.S., Daley said. "The film industry in America was going strong. Canada says, 'Okay, we want the film industry. We will subsidize you.' So all the film industry went from America up to Canada.
"We do the creative work," Daley said. "We do the financial work. Why should we send the (production) work overseas?"
"I am upset in the sense that, again, where are our priorities? Our priorities should be keeping people working in the film industry right here."
-----
daley can eat it.
if the entire thing weren't shot on sound stages, he'd have a point. the thing could have been shot in the middle of nebraska if they had an adiquite sound stage there. in the case of "Rumble in the Bronx" this would be a valid argument. the movie is clearly not shot in the bronx and therefore looks stupid, despite the oh-so-sweet moves that jackie chan is constantly busting. but politicians should think twice about criticising certain choices artists make just because they're out some sweet revenue for the city. and, he looks kind of silly complaining about the loss of one film, despite the fact it was on a day that film kicked major ass at the oscar nominees.
when i saw this story on the TV news, they showed video footage of the press conference. mayor daley and his handlers were totally decked out in what appeared to be an attempt at the gangster-style costumes used in the movie. it was super lame... but is he trying to send us a subliminal message that he is secretly a gangster??? hmmmm... interesting....
i mean, i for one think that BIG BUSINESS selling out AMERICAN LABOR in exchange for a better deal over-seas is a major problem, and the mayor is right for bringing it up. but the movie industry is the LAST place to start tackling the problem.
and to COMPLETLEY take us off topic, i would like to say that whining about a movie made in canada is the LAST thing the mayor needs to be worrying about. motherfucker acts like he's only in charge of a city that goes as far south as the loop.
Funny:Bottle Rocket
Ghost World
Office Space
Caddyshack
The Cable Guy
I also have a soft spot/weakness for Dirty Work with Norm MacDonald.
I think you have my stapler. (It's a swingline.) he he he he he he
Enjoy Steven Root as the kindly detective who digs up the truth on Whoopi in Ghost!
Son, you walk a fine line trying to get away with dialogue like what you just posted? Pedro, have you been taking correspondence courses in the George Lucas School of Witty Banter?
For one of the finest stories on Duck and Cover propoganda, I recommend this animated movie. If the link doesn't work, it's called When the Wind Blows. I highly recommend it.
I just made my nightschool class watch The Princess Bride. Most of them had never seen it. I love that movie! It is completely timeless- I could watch it 5000 more times and still like it, I think.
blvdgirl, absolutely. Waiting for Guffman and Holy Grail are also on that list of special funny movies for me.
best in show, this is spinal tap
daredevil was pretty fun. don't expect much but a comic book movie, and you will like it too, i hope.
Thirteen Conversations about one thing is one of the worse movies I've seen latly. The movie was interesting in design, but then again so are most weapons of mass destruction.Shipping news on the other hand was nice, if slightly disturbing.
Something else odd...
I've taken to printing this entree out before I go rent moives... is that wrong?
I'm sure all us movie buffs will have a field day with this thread, and much discussion, so I'm just gonna throw it out there. What are the worst movies you've ever seen, and why? I don't mean movies that just bored you, I mean movies that were so retched you despise them, and wish you had those two plus hours of your life back. My short list is:"The Way of the Gun"
The writer of "The Usual Suspects" teams up to make the worst movie I've ever seen. Violence against women, a horrible plot, and an ending consisting of a pregnant woman being carved up, are only some of the reasons this movie will make you wanna puke your guts out.
"Dead Man"
Johnny Depp was riding high of the fumes of "Ed Wood" and thought another black and white film was in order. Dead Man includes cannibalism as if it were some sort of joke, terrible ranting dialog that tries to sound smarter than it is, and an awful waste of Neil Young's musical score that was horribly out of place and jarring. Every scene was far too long and far too tedious. An utter waste of Johnny Depp as well. For a good Depp movie see "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." It's a good Benicio Del Toro movie as well.
"True Romance"
The reason I absolutely hate anything writen, directed, starring, or even endorsed by Quentin Tarantino (I'm gonna get a lot of flack for this, I know it). A waste of such excellent stars as Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, and Gary Oldman for the sake of a script (by Tarantino) with tremendous amounts of senseless violence against women and everything else, culminating in a mindless shootout where nearly everyone dies. Why? What was the point of any of the movie? I guess that's why Christian Slater, Dennis Hopper, and Patricia Arquette are not doing a whole lot these days, but even they have done better than "True Romance."
"Get Shorty"
John Travolta on a comeback high, but none of the dialog was clever or funny in any way. Even after leaving the theatre I couldn't remember what the movie was about. I just felt gypped.
"My Boyfriend's Back"
Some girl's prom date dies and comes back from the dead as a zombie, and starts eating his former classmates in an attempt to win his girl back. This movie was made in the early 90's I think, and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, not even a quasi-famous actor was in it.
is absolutely the worst film i've ever seen. i wanted to walk out of the theater. i wanted to puke. i almost did both. i did take an extended visit to the restroom to get out of the theater. i'm not a fan of the hand held camera filming technique. it makes me motion sick. couple that with the horrifically disgusting things that were filmed in this movie, and, well, it's amazing that i didn't toss my cookies.
i too wasn't thrilled with 'Way of the Gun'. it just dragged, and didn't make any sense to me. maybe i just wasn't in the mood to watch such a film, but i really didn't like it.
while i wouldn't call it the worst movie i've ever seen, '25th Hour' that just came out recently really left a bad taste in my mouth. i've since gotten over it, and found a way to allow my discontent to be scored against all the things i liked in the movie. because i liked the acting, i liked the monologue from Ed Norton (who i think is a brilliant actor), i liked the pace of the movie. i liked the premise of the movie. i liked the build up. but to me it was like cinematic blue-balls the way it ended.
i don't want to give away too much, because im sure not everyone has seen it. but i was quite disappointed with the ending. i can't say more, obviously. but i wouldn't call it the worst movie i've seen either.
'Se7en' was a big letdown for me as well. perhaps it's because it was hyped for me, and then when i saw it, it couldn't live up to the hype. but... it moved so slowly for me. i watched it with my dad, and after the 3rd murder we had the ending figured out (not necessarily the remote area delivery of a head in a box, but the crux of GPaltrow being offed and used as a bargaining chip in the sick game between Spacey and Pitt. ) the rest was just watching the inevitable unfold.
as for good movies: I loved 'True Romance'. i don't know why, but the characters are great. i can't really explain it. i also have enjoyed othe Tarantino movies as well. 'Reservoir Dogs' being my favorite, and 'Pulp Fiction' is a classic one as well. there's a moral in there, you just gotta find it. im entertained by his movies, even though i dont' seea lot of justification in watching them. but, to each his/her own.
I've found that sometimes a film needs a second chance. But then agian, some films suck me in with their aesthetics and I appreciate them more. But there have been several films that I've hated and then, based on the recommendations of close friends, I've given them another chance. Some of the ones at the top of that list are:Chasing Amy, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Waiting for Guffman, and Annie Hall.
Sometimes a film will surprise you if you give it a second chance.
this is actually from a review that ulyssess wrote back in his younger days. there are some movies i wanted to hate but really liked (not that i consider them great art, but i enjoyed them):10 things i hate about you buffy the vampire slayer clueless spy kids/spy kids 2 bounce forces of nature bring it on
so what are some of your guilty pleasures?
here's the list with commas:10 things i hate about you, buffy the vampire slayer, clueless, spy kids/spykids 2, bounce, forces of nature, bring it on, and oh yeah: deep blue sea.
I think I am one to like most movies, only Noah will agree with me, but I loved Hudson Hawk, makes me laugh, also, the PRincess Bride, just plain funny, I like about a Boy, and I hated Moulin Rouge with a passion. As for civil war movies I've seen them all, but my dad was an enormous buff, and I will probably cry by eyes out at Gods and Generals, but that's for personal reasons. And groundhog day always makes me laugh too. Glory is one of my favorite soundtracks, good stuff, Carmina Burana and all.
Moulin Rouge is probably my favorite movie of all time, but I forgive you.It seems like most people either love or hate that movie, there are few with neutral opinions towards it.
As for movies I dislike, there are so many that I don't even want to get started. I maybe like 25% of movies I see, not that I see many atoll, and feel neutral towards and/or dislike the other 75%. I can't stand anything Star Wars, (sorry, y'all) sci-fi or fantasy. I don't like artsty movies when they try too hard. I don't like musicals (except Moulin), 99% of movies which are adapted from books (especially if I liked the book), action movies, movies with musicians or sports stars trying to be actors, most comedies, because I don't think they're funny, animated stuff...I can't think of what else I don't like, but it's about everything. Maybe I'm just too critical.
I thought I would be all cool and try to use the HTML italics function to italicize Star Wars, but it looks like I screwed it up. It must be my karma for dissing America's favorite form of entertainment so hard.
my friend noah and i rarely agree on movies, but he has the best comments about them.on The Shipping News:
"despite the fact that it had icestual rape, murder, death, hookers, and severed heads, it still suprisingly sucked."
on Moulin Rouge:
"yeah, everyone talks about how visually stunning the whole thing is but i have no idea how they can focus on one shot since they're ALL MOVING AT 500 MILES AN HOUR!"
on The Matrix:
"dude, that was the biggest waste of time. worst movie ive ever seen."
----
it should be noted that i haven't seen any of these movies, but i relish noah's irrational commentary nonetheless.
when i was in high school...no, no...the one i was at before northpark, i saw this movie called "the last time i commited suicide", i can't specifically remember why, but I know that i thought it was so bad that i couldn't even finish it...or course, the first time i saw "the last of the mohicans" i didn't like that either
yeah so I just felt like putting in that title, I don't really have anything to say, other than Moulin Rouge was nothing more than a 2 hour bad video of bad covers, if I wanted a 2 hour video I'd watch Michael Jackson's Moonwalker! Or play the video game, which rocked!
Now that I've gotten the bad and the ugly outta my system, I'd like to pay homage to my faves, and some tragically overlooked films."Fight Club"
Not really a movie about fighting or clubs at all, but a very refreshing look at what capitalism has actually done to us. We are all bred to be consumers. This movie struck such a chord with me that I am systematically selling all of my "flaming little shit" (i.e., earthly possessions to the layperson). Also, on a purely superficial level, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were sheer genius in this movie. Not to be missed.
"The Saint"
This film is perhaps the only movie where I actually believe and feel why the couple falls in love. Val Kilmer and Elizabeth Shue sizzle on screen together. Not to mention that I laugh my ass off at every disguised character that Val plays in the film. The villains are not fooled by silly disguises, and the plot really keeps you guessing. What will happen in the end to these characters that have worked their way into our hearts? Until I met my girlfriend, this was romantic idealism in a way. Now, I have even better.
"Shawshank Redemption"
What can I say? If you haven't seen it -- rent it today. Finally a film with smart plausible characters in a situation that is somewhat foreboding. Ultimately. this film really is about redemption. It's got the coolest ending you'll ever see in a movie.
"Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery"
Nearly endless hysterics from start to finish. The movie with a million gags and a million laughs. You know all the joke's c'mon. "I also like to live dangerously." "Who does number 2 work for?" "How dare you pass gas before me?" "She was the village bicycle -- Everyone's had a ride." "One million dollars." "You shot me. I can't believe you shot me." "Send in the femBOTS!" "Why don't we just get a gun and shoot him?" "I've got a whole bag of shhh with your name on it." "Throw me a frickin' bone here, people." "That's a man, Baby." You guys get the idea. I disliked AP2, until the second time I saw it. Then I realized it was hilarious too, but surely more disgusting. AP:Goldmember left a bad taste in my mouth, and not just because of the "bong and a crepe." Maybe if I see it again, I'll find it funnier, but it seemed to try way too hard.
more to come.....
a long time ago i saw a movie in the theater called 'Where The Day Takes You'. i really liked this movie. it had Will Smith in it. anybody know anything more about it? anybody see it? like it?
Does anyone know the name of a movie from the 80's where a computer falls in love with it's owner, becomes jealous, and attacks the owner and his girlfriend. In the final battle the computer uses a Pac-Man style program to hunt its owner through the apartment. Truly bizarre. I think Patrick Dempsey is the lead, but not entirely sure.Sorry, Baggins. No can do on "Where the Day Takes You," but Will Smith was also good in "6 Degrees of Seperation." I saw that one for the first time a few weeks ago.
Speaking of Will, who I think is quite talented, I saw "Men In Black II" a month or so ago. I have not seen the first one, nor do I have any desire to. It was horrific. I liked the aliens, though. They were pretty imaginative.
I liked 25th hour, and I actually really liked the ending. As the ending was happening, I kept thinking, "no, no, no, no, no, no! no!" and then they resolved it for me, so I felt good about it. I had actually heard J say he didn't like the ending, and so while I was watching it, I thought I understood why... but then they resolved it and I was happy with it, so that made me laugh. I understand why someone might not like it (baggins), but I liked it and wanted to say so.
Don't judge Men in Black one by its sequel, the first one was much more entertaining, I even own it, and watch it very so often.
Yeah baby, I just got the special edition of Tombstone on DVD, talk about a kick ass movie!! That and the Outlaw Josey Wales are the two best westerns ever!!
dude isnt that a movie about kerouac?i heard it was lame, but ive never seen it.
the soundtrack, on the other hand, SMOKES!
#1 = The good, the bad and the ugly
I actually liked "The Last Time I Committed Suicide." It is an interesting look at the world of Kerouac and his cohorts. If I remember, it is as much about Neal Cassidy as it is Kerouac. It is rather depressing and sort of slow at times, nor does it have much of a plot, but then again, that's kind of how beat writing is (not saying I don't love Kerouac and Ginsburg and Borroughs & Co., 'cause I do, but you gotta admit a lot of it rambles). I may just be partial to the movie because it's set in Denver, where I'm from, and I recognize a lot of the streets and neighborhoods, or at least recognize the areas as they would have looked in the 50s.It's not the greatest movie ever, and everyone I watched it with thought it sucked, but if you are into the beats' writing and lives, it is worth a shot.
What a glowing review. I know you're ALL going to rush out and rent it now.
If I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life it'd be "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Never before has a movie made gape with awe at the sheer beauty of the cinematography, marvel at the fluidly kinetic action set pieces, and shed tears at its deep story line. Throw in a wonderful score by Yoyo Ma (or however you spell his name), and you've got the best film ever.On a somewhat related note, George Lucas should have taken diligent notes and remade Episode 1 in the image of CT,HD. Seriously, he has the money. Chow Yun Fat would've been a kick ass Qui Gon Jin. Think about it.
I'm not the biggest fan of westerns, but some of my favorites are: unforgiven, the searchers, the wild bunch and high noon.
maybe im a big fucking moron. but i was unhappy with the ending precisely because it was not resolved!! where was the resolution for you? did i somehow miss it? because they never actually said what he did. the only thing i could think of is that the road they turn onto gives you the clue. but if so, what a stupid clue, because a lot of people missed it. and i never really thought Spike Lee was big on subtlety. so how was it resolved pedro?
It is not EXPLICITLY said as in a sign that says, "This way to X", but to me it was perfectly clear what decision he made. I can see how people might not have felt that way, but I didn't feel that way.This is weird though... in my mind, I see Sean Penn all beat to heck in his dad's car, not Ed Norton... in my minds eye, I mean.
i mean, to you its perfectly clear? that's fine. but what are you basing it on then?
i still have no clue what he chose. none whatsoever. im interested to know which one you think he chose as well.
is a great film. Chreck it out.Also just saw One Hour Photo. Robin Williams gives one of the best performances of his career.
I know a lot of people here love Boondock Saints, but I hated it. And it wasn't for any of my prudish tendencies. I just thought it was awful and a ripoff. Watch Willem Dafoe as Gary Oldman's character from The Professional! Only he's a crossdresser instead of a pill-popper!
I saw that movie a number of times, I liked it, but it wasn't very original, and even less because it lacked the professional's little apprentice bit. I like boondock just because it's fun, but yeah, it's not a movie that really says anything or whatever else a movie needs to be artsy-fartsy and spoken about here.
It's a good movie if you don't mind sitting brain-dead for 2 hours. Fluffy fun, but Id never spend a nickel to buy it.
i have it. it was $4 at LackLuster Video. then again, i just love it. sure, it's not really all that thought provoking, but El DUCE?!?! come on!! he's awesome. and there are just some great scenes in this movie. i love when the cat gets shot. i guess you just gotta be in the mood for it. like when something funny happens, but you had to be there, or it's not funny at all...
If they were actually taking themselves seriously, then I stand behind my low opinion of BDS. If they thought it was all big joke, and that they were making a crappy, goofy, cliched over the top movie, then yeah, it's kind of funny.
OK, I've give you all of that, especially the over the top stuff. But if there were real killers doing that, how would you guys respond?
I have a place in my heart for truth-heeled mercenarial justice.But too often it just denigrates into revenge, and in general, I think that "if you do the crime, you do the time." I could hardly see supporting their actions unless you also support capital punishment.
(Not that any of this is why I think bds is a bad movie.)
these are a few years old, but I really enjoyed them and you all might too.Slam - a gritty film about urban poetry
Love and Death on Long Island - John Hurt and Jason Priestley as the unlikeliest couple imaginable!
Still Breathing - a little slow and formulaic, but an honest film.
The Love Letter - misdirection and mayhem in asmall town over a misplaced love letter.
Buffalo 66 - why we watch independent films
Cube - the acting sucks, but the film is fascinating
Living Out Loud - Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito; a little like As Good As it GetsAnd some newer ones: Igby Goes Down - great ensemble
Kissing Jessica Stein - don't be turned off by the subject matter
Full Frontal - a really tough film to watch, very non-American story, but good stuff.
I got this DVD from the library last night. I hadn't seen it since it came out in the theaters. I was about 9 and thought it was truly amazing. It was very cool and strange to see it again decades later.
Saw Amelie last night... I really need to buy Delicatessen, City of Lost Children, and Amelie... I love those movies so much. I don't know why, but it catches my style and my funny bone perfectly.
If you ever want to borrow city of lost children from me just let me know...we could even watch it together. every time i go to best buy i look for delicatessen on dvd, the vhs, but it's never there, and i don'trelly think it ever will be, even if it was out BB has more important things to stock, like THUMBWARS or, THE THUMBFATHER. god damn them, no, double god damn them.so, anyway, the jeunet site has delicatessen on dvd, so go out and buy yourself a PAL dvd player and a PAL tv and you're set, also notice that they're not too friendly towards english speakers.
and I've heard only good things about Kissing Jessica Stein. The Cube was too much for me - I had to stop watching after the wires did their business in the first bit of the movie, but we own it and I may try again to watch it. Jay thought it was a fascinating flick.
Cube. Rented it back in 1999 with little hope. So tense, so strange, the first scene was amazing. Bad acting, amazing atmosphere. A nice little gem and quite a head-f**k.
Scinatfilm...or anyone who loves to talk about movies (including myself) must go here and watch these shorts...it requires quicktime.
just watched the 'spike jonze' and 'buscemi/hoffman' clips. fun stuff. will watch the rest as time allows. thanks for the link.
The reason they don't make religious epics these days...Lack of opportunities for product placement!
...and Pontius Pilate uses Dove moisturizing soap!
Yes, I thought of many inappropriate equivalents to that.In reality I don't think my argument holds that much water as I don't remember any obvious product pushing in Gladiator or Titanic either (so the adverts must have been subliminal blipverts). The stream of thought was brought on by my seeing a few seconds of some "reality TV" show in which the labels on bottles of ketchup and cooking oil were fuzzed out but the canned drink (with label carefully turned to the camera) was given a prominent place. This contrasts with something like Blade Runner, made back in the days before product placement became so huge, in which advertising is a large part of the backdrop and adds to the atmosphere. Things can only get much much worse - as evidenced by the massive pushes surrounding the last James Bond fiasco.
Being an Apple guy, I've noticed recently that EVERYONE on a television series who uses a laptop is using a G4. It's actually become a game: spot the Apple.
if they had used intel based laptops they would've been paying more for the insurance than the actors....
i.e.
dell battery explodes
willy gets burned
I had the semi-known movie critic, Bill Stamets, as an instructor once, and he proclaimed that by 2005, most movies will require multiple, multiple, multiple onscreen product placements throughout their running time to get onscreen. This is too bad. It's only gonna get a lot worse
i can't remember what movie it was... maybe spiderman or somethign that was just insane with some kind of product placement.
Minority Report was plastered with product placements. They tried to work it in as part of the story, but it was still over-the-top with the logos.
... pretty much a giant product placement ad for FedEx?
Wilson...
That's an interesting one since one could argue it adds a lot of realism to the story that he worked for a company that we're all familiar with. And with everyone so worried about image, it's funny that nobody seemed to care that Fed Ex's plane crashed and all those important packages were lost. All except the one package he brought back. The one with the international cel phone in it :)
I'm NEVER READING THIS BULLETIN BOARD AGAIN!Two movies ruined!
;LKAWLEKFJWHDFLGKJSHDFGLSKDFJGHSFDGWERTWER;LKSHDF;!!!!!
hahahaha
Just kidding. I'm not sure if you're joking agbout the international cell phone or not... but I don't care either way.
Ha! It was a joke pedro. You should see Castaway though.
See you in a few minutes, chester.
Wayne's World... At least, they called it for what it was.
I saw How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days tonight. I laughed and enjoyed myself plenty. And, I defy all critics and movie snobs who say it is formulaic and contrived.
I *finally* got around to watching lieutenant's copy of Wonder Boys. Pretty cool movie! Thanks, Matt.
if you like Owen Wilson, see this movie. don't expect any major moments of clarity, or anything. but expect to laugh your ass off. because this movie is frickin hilarious. i couldn't stop laughing. plus, its always fun to watch Jackie Chan do all his stuff. Wilson's sense of humor really makes this movie great.
Any comments on this movie? I think it's a really good one - I'd be interested to hear other thoughts on Memento.
Memento bored the pants off me. I wanted to turn it off, but i waited for the end twist, which just made me hate the movie more.
i am the _only_ person I know who doesn't love this movie, though.
I didn't like it either, Fook. I didn't believe in the characters or the story. I just didn't buy into it at all. I was pissed off when I was done because everyone I saw it with was telling me how good it was. I guess people were attracted to the whole let's solve the mystery aspect...
this movie messed with my head big time. coming out of that movie and standing around the middle of universal city in hollywood was really strange. i think the 'lets solve the mystery aspect' has to be addressed first. otherwise, you're passing judgment on a story where you don't even know what happened. i liked it. what do you mean you didn't believe in the characters or the story? i mean, its a movie, so we know its fiction. but if you can't suspend your disbelief, how will you ever like a movie based on this criteria?
I like "Memento" and I own the DVD. Saw it in the theatre twice. The first time I saw it, it bugged the crap out of me because it was a lot to take in. Of course, my friends and I debated about the movie for at least an hour at that night's dinner---basically, trying to figure out who-why-when-etc.Saw "Old School" this weekend which was very funny for the first 20 minutes and then went downhill as predicted. I also rented "The Salton Sea" which was a big disapointment, and "The Good Girl" which was somewhat depressing in my book, but very well done.
Has anyone seen "Chuck and Buck".? Ick...
My housemates wanted to watch it last night... it was too early to go to bed. Just a word of caution, it's more bizarre/disturbing sober.
truly the scariest movie ive ever seen. about 45 minutes into it you stop laughing and the horror sinks in.... it really catches you off guard. my friend grew up in rural ohio and went to grade school with a few of the kids in this movie...
apart from the characters, which were somewhat archetypal, i found memento to be one of the finest examples of post-modern film-noir, right up there with l.a. confidential, the usual suspects and dark city.
from my friend leonardr's website
mmm....lame.
I think I watched more movies in the last few days than I have in the last six months combined. This weekend, I saw "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Orange County." The first was cute, but I don't see what the big deal is about. It was a good movie, not spectacular. The Greek father is the best, though. I don't think I ever knew a single Greek person until I moved to Chicago, so I can understand the movie now better than I would have several years ago."Orange County" was funny, but a little over the top. I guess that's to be expected from a movie made by MTV. The main characters are played by Tom Hanks' son and Sissy Spacek's daughter. Is some nepotism going on perhaps? Jack Black is awesome, though. I don't think I've ever seen anything he was in, but he's hilarious.
Last night I saw "Road to Periditon." I think it gave me nightmares, but it's a really well-done movie and interesting to watch as far as the dialogue & stylism is concerned. I don't think I could watch it more than once, though. Too much shooting and blood for me, but it's done in a tasteful way.
Road to Perdition.
I saw recently that I really respected (and also liked) were: White Oleander and Lovely and Amazing.Oh, and I got "Tex, the Passive-Aggressive Gunslinger" on tape.
I Rule!
I really liked this film. Susan Sarandon is definately one of my all time favorite actors, and I'm finding that I like almost every Jake Gyllenhaal movie I've seen lately.
Not a bad movie.... too many blond girls though. Nothing against blonds, but they seem evil now.
alh and I went to rent a movie last night -- we ended up getting Waking Sneakums Devine (which she hadn't seen) -- and the Blusterbock was selling the dopple-disck Amelie for $20! I snatched that bad boy up, after all, it's "the feel-good movie of the year!" or so says the jacket. Anyway, it is in french of course with subtitles. I know we've all seen the movie... I was just so excited, given the relative PITA it is to obtain foreign films after their visa here in America expires.
but i thought that the girls in white oleander almost need to be blond. I think it just adds to whatever they're trying to say in the film just like you have all these perfectly blond skinny hizzys, but look at all the problems they have anyway, you know? i don't, some crap, whatever. The book was good.
That's a great point; the blond hair subtly changes throughout the film and is a reflection of character as well, especially Renee
dont hate me. however, Moonlight Mile IS a good flick. i really enjoyed it. Susan Sarandon gives a really great performance in it. and i like the girl, though i can't remember her name.
On second thought the blond (don't really have all the fun) was kind of appropiate. Up here in Maine we don't get many beautiful blond women, maybe it just seemed surreal to me.
I LOVE velvet goldmine. i've seen it a billion times.have you, scinatfilm, or anyone else, seen Hedwig and the Angry Inch??????
it is so good. it rocks my balls.
there needs to be more punk-rock-trans-sexual-rock-operas.
Baggins, you gotta see it. You'll love it."Punk-rock-trans-sexual-rock-operas." Now that's a genre you don't hear about every day. I work in Boys Town, and from what I can ascertain from posters I see while walking around the 'Hood, they have "Hedwig" as a musical now in Chicago (?).
its kind of like a rocky-horror phenomenon... i dont know if the show is in chicago yet... i want to look into it.the movie is not really a musical. almost all the songs are just rock songs being played by a band you see in the movie, so its like its a series of concerts... but the songs follow a story-line much like that of a musical, and revolve around the story of the main character/ lead singer, which is depicted in the film. however, there is a lot of fantasy-like sequences that get thrown into the musical parts.
i am normally NOT a fan of musicals, but this one is amazing. it was written directed,and starred in by the same guy (who also wrote all the songs). please please rent this motherfucker.
but i'd really like to see the "live show" spin-off of it.
that's a pretty cool movie. even if the plot gets confusing and lost in the music.
Anyone see that one?
I *hate* scary movies, but I rented the Ring because I heard it was good. It was good, but also very very scary. Do *not* watch it alone!!!
It is scary, in the sense of creepy. I enjoyed it for the scare factor while watching it, and for the think-about-it-later factor too. I love the multiple meaning of the title. I like the characters, even Samara. And I even like how they made a half-hearted attempt to explain how a videotape can have no control track.Have you seen the DVD, Elise? There's a cool 15-minute short on it called "Don't Watch This." There's also a not-terribly-hard-to-find easter egg which shows you the cursed tape as it appears in the movie, but with a rather fascinating twist.
I'm in the middle of it now, and it is delightful. We'll see what i think when I'm done.BUT I just saw Far From Heaven. It blew me away. It succeeded at its goal infinitely more than The Man Who Wasn't There, my affection for the Coens notwithstanding.
Seriously, the color pallette alone is worth seeing the movie for.
A lot of people here seemed to have loved that movie, and I think all of you are intelligent and discerning people. Why did I hate it so much? Maybe I'm the problem. It just seemed so contrived to me. Although my friend Andi read the book and saw the movie, and said you need to read the book to appreciate the movie. So, I don't know what to think.
What a great movie. Just saw it last night.
I watched it the same day Scinatfilm did and liked it. Of course, the soundtrack helped. It must be the movie to rent, because the current offering of films on video and at the theatres STINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought it was a cute movie with good redemptive qualities, and well Hugh Grant is just plain hot, ok maybe that wasn't the reason, but there's nothing like a blubbering stuttering Brit to get your motor running!
sex and lucía and sex and lucía and sex and sex...en español
Jackass w/ extended footage comes out soon on DVD. i didn't see it, but i wanted to. now i will be able to be dumb for 5 HOURS!!!
like joe dirt, dude, where's my car, super troopers etc....because really, what the fuck else am i going to do with the thirty hours a week that i cleared up for and internship that i can start today but can't because chuck won't let me hmmmmmmm. i got drunk tonight....i think that i see a recurring nightmare for the rest of the year....oh yeah, movies....lord of the rings
Watched Animal House again last night. I think that movie may truely be timeless. I think I'm going to have a toga party in a couple of weeks. The brewer that my house-mate works for has a new beer. We need to celebrate.
Watched Kissing Jessica Stein again. What a great film. I highly recommend it.
A Man Apart....man I'm so excited to see this movie!I love these spring releases...I know the studios are really looking out for us and are only providing the best entertainment for us movie fans! I find it reassuring that our talented screenwriters have stopped using their minds and are now writing scripts with their crotches. Whew! For a while there I thought I might have endure another "indy" film. Man, those Sundance people are weird! Anyways man, I'm so stoked. When I hear Vin "VD" Diesel utter the lines: "If I wanted you to be dead, you'd be dead" I just pump my fists in the air and thank god that Vin has made another movie for me to buy on DVD.
That was the funniest post I've seen in a while coney, thanks! I heard that the movie is like 3 years old, and they probably weren't going to release it, but then Vin became a huge star and voila instant crap-cake, and that's not a typo. Oh and I've said it before and I'll say it again, GO SEE SPIRITED AWAY!!!
my gosh. my goodness gracious.
Good goodness gracious or bad goodness gracious?
yeah, forget that title.i saw this movie tonight at the latin film festival, fairy tale to put crocodiles to sleep. it was interesting, very mexican, little tidbits of the history and such or mexico, not really the ?y tu mamá también? white mexico with indigenous people on the side of the road thing. It basically was about this family that consistently has two sons, and there is always one that cannot sleep and gets the other to tell him the dreams and blah blah, i don't really knowwhat to say without spoiling it, it was cool though, if you can spare the nine bucks for a ticket, eight for students of course. blah blah blah, blah blablah blah
mostly martha.
i really enjoyed it. i think most blockbusters have it and probably in new releases.
Rented little nicky over the weekend, ah the joys of stupid devil humor...
if I've mentioned it before... but the diner folks would really like "Happy Accidents." It's an independent film with Vincent D'onofrio and MArisa Tomei
poor writing but it doesnt matter.creepy as fuck.
i want to see the japanese movie its based on- "ringu."
Aren't there three of those? I bet they're really really freaky. Has anyone seen Kingdom? It's many hours long I guess and billed as an ER on acid. I hear it's quite trippy. Also, the Polanski movie Repulsion is one of the freakiest movies ever.
i just downloaded the trailer for this one. it's huge, in many, many ways. it's about 100 megs, which only took a few minutes on campus, but with dialup, that comes out to about five days if i did the math correctly (100*1024=102400/ 5.6=18285.714sec/60=304.761min /60=5.079days), now of course i gave the optimal download rate of a 56k modem, which you will never get, so your best bet is either five days, or a broadband connection, or a friend. The resolution on it is pretty crazy too. it's 1000 pixels by 540 pixels (most people run a screen resoution of no less than 1024*768), which is pretty big if you ask me, it barely plays on my machine, let alone any of those in the apartment, so that's the next trick, finding someone who has a nice video card that can play it without dropping frames left and right. anywhozawhatsit, it's cool, looks good, sounds good, but somehow they're mixing in a romance during the end of the world, kinda confuses me it's like, here guys, bring your girlfriends, there's a romance part in the movie for them too (yeah, it's a stereotype, spank me....please B^] ) so take a look at it.
i just finished watching this movie and i definitely recommend it.disclaimer: if you hate it or can't handle it, i take no responsibility for that.
tom, your math is suspect. 5 hours, not days.
that's why i'm not a math major
it would go from minutes to hours, not days but still, i refer you to my previous post
the sundance channel alone is worth what we pay for cable.i watched the movie "george washington" by david gordon green [who recently put out "all the real girls" which did rather well at this year's festivals] and this movie is beautiful. it's rather like watching a young girl start to discover her sexuality and power and let go of some of her innocence. it's a bit awkward in the most natural sense, incredibly endearing and somewhat sad but also graceful.
also the movie "L.I.E." which takes the acronym of the Long Island Expressway and infuses it with distrust and disillusionment. my roommate got disgusted with it and didn't finish watching it, but what i loved about it is how the most contemptible character was humanized in a way that you couldn't hate him.
even though i didn't get to see the end of "west beirut" because my sister called, i was so engrossed in it that i didn't hear the phone ring and was confused when my roommate handed me the phone.
last, but not least is "the sweetest thing" which i completely expected to hate enough not to be able to watch it. but i thought it was funny. it's dumb, but it never pretends to be anything else and i can respect that and go along with that humor.
oh! i somehow also sat it out through "crossroads" the britney spears vehicle. that movie was like giving a decrepit old lady a hummer to drive to the supermarket. and no matter what kind of issues her friends were dealing with [rape being one of them] britney somehow was still able to salve them by getting onstage and gettin' down.
Saw Secretary last night as well. Thought it was quite funny...but really a decent movie. The best line being "mayonaisse". We won't get into it. Juvenile.Barefoot - saw L.I.E. when it first came out....mainly because of the NC-17 controversey. You are dead on about this movie but I thought it should have been better. The child actors were phenomenal and you could never hate Brian Cox either...he is just too good.
Saw it over the weekend, not a bad film, and the last rap that Eminem does is freakin great!
since we don't get sundance, I've been quenching my indie thirst with IFC and my classics thirst with Turner Classsic, since AMC sold out.But yeah, Secretary was good, I dug it. What did you all think of Full Frontal. I think I need to see it again to process it.
sci, as a budding documentary film wonk, you should come to DC and hang out at the silverdocs film festival. Acutally, I have no idea if it's going to be any good, but my apt is a stone's throw away and the theater looks really cool.
Can I come hang out at your house Lukas? Actually I might mean it, I'm going to go to DC this summer probably, we should hook up for a drink or something.
was good. But don't watch it when you're hungry!
Good movie, go see it.
was mighty funny.
jen and i watched crush with andie macdowell last night and we very pleasently surprised. worth the rental.
in english called "the movements of the heart" or something, a very strange tale about and man and love, and love, and love and a strange transvestite that he wakes up next to one day
I watched this last night during a bout of insomnia. Not amazing, but definitely entertaining. It made me nostalgic for the 70s, even though I don't remember the 70s.
Most especially, the Sunset Strip in the 70's. It took me years to realize that other 6 year olds didn't count hookers on Sunset while driving to their grandparents houses.
worth the rent just to see a guy ladle some rum out of a jar with a fetus in it, and drink it too, in spanish, from spain, strange, eerie sometimes. Just a little bit similar to "the ring" but not enough to say that it was a copy, but don't see it if you have trouble with pre-adolescent death, not to say that there is any, but, y'know
is playing at the brew and view this week and next week. I recommend it highly. Like pretzels, will go well with beer as well.
If anyone would like to catch X2 or Matrix: Reloaded with next month during opening weekend please contact me. We have two options, I guess. We can meet at the theatre on Lincoln Ave. I believe it's called Davies, but I may be mistaken. I'll look it up. It's about 2 or 3 miles from North Park. Option two being that we can meet at Victoria's (formerly George's) and all hitch a ride together to the theatre of your choosing, but then I'd need a ride back, as I don't drive. I think it'd be a great way to meet some of you in person for the first time. I'll offer popcorn, on me, to anyone who ends up giving me a lift. As you know some of those giant tubs can be as much as filling up your tank with gas. Email me at hernandoinchicago@hotmail.com.
logged in as me. (fixed --ed.)
very funny. go see it.
I saw this movie for the first time yesterday. It is SO awesome! And ask anyone who knows me, I hate probably 50% of all movies I watch, tolerate 25% percent, sort of like 20%, and really love only 5%. This is an "I love" movie. The Dude. Hah! Great flick. Better than anything else the Coen brothers have done, in my opinion.
I work at a synagogue and come across many, many Cohen, Cowens, etc. I have never seen "Coen." What's up with that?
the only thorn in my side involving this movie is Julianne Moore. Who ever told her she could act? Let her be part of a movie? She really bites the big one.Sorry to any Julianne Moore fans out there.
it certainly wasn't a naturalistic performace, but i thought it worked well in the movie. i haven't seen her in anything else that i can recall.
i saw 'a mighty wind' and totally enjoyed it. it wasn't as hilarious as the others, but it was just as good, just a different good...more touching, i guess, more sweet. they did a great job. i hope those people never stop making movies together.
I really like her. She was great in Far From Heaven.
borrowed "hedwig and the angry inch" and we watched it last night, it was good.
if you saw those, i would think you would like juliannemoore, she is amazing/i used to think maybe i didn't like her, but then i saw these movies/and far from heaven i didn't care much for, but she was great in that as well.
I have not seen either the hours or magnolia, but heard they're both great. i'll reserve final opinion on her until i see them. i couldn't stand her in that stupid hugh grant movie (nine months?) and a few other things, but who could be good in a hugh grant movie?
can we please talk about this movie?it is amazing.
in fact, it has prrobably bumped "velvet goldmine" out of my 4 or 5 favorite films of all time. ALL TIME, dudes.
i saw it last summer, but recently watched it 4 more times this weekend.
the story: AMAZING. its about a dude from east berlin who gets a sex change operation in order to escape to america, but the operation gets "botch" leaving him without a penis or a vagina, and simply a "one inch mound of flesh." and once he/she gets to the US, her lover ditches her. so she starts a punk band called "HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH."
i know that sounds like a vulgur basis for a story, but it isnt really focused on. its a beautifully tragic and at the same time hopeful story.
kids- i know a good chunk of you know good music when you hear it. this film is ALMOST like a "rock musical/opera" except that all the songs are sung because its her band playing them, and they just so happen to tell the story of her life. they range from very-bowie-influenced piano ballads to johnny rotten style balls-(or inch)-out punk rock. i seriously hate most musicals, and i LOVE this film. EVERY SONG SEQUENCE IS GOOD. i dont know how to post shit on the web, but if you IM me (upinamug) i will send you some mp3s of these amazing songs.
on top of that, the story and the camera work are incredible, and there are some animation sequences that are very beautiful.
the acting is so good that you completely forget wether you're supposed to care wether the main character is a man or a woman or not, and just care about her story.
SEE THIS MOVIE.
I love her. Incredible in Boogie Nights and also fine in Magnolia and Far From Heaven and End of the Affair and i liked her alot in LEbowski as well...Different Strokes
I loved her in Different Strokes/
she played the little redhead, Sam. right?
Boooo....ha ha.
<Wooderson> I love those red heads man.
later on...
<Wooderson> Pink, my man. What's happening? Cynthia man. I like it man. Very nice.
<Pink> Yeah. Red's a good color for you.
<Wooderson> My favorite color.
But saw X2 then the origianl x-men this weekend. Really enjoyed both.
If you liked the first one, RUN out and see X2. Very cool, and much more true to the X-Men, I think, with a few notable exceptions. Still, they did a great job.
Don't run. I just wanted to sound like I knew something cool that you didn't. But seriously, X2 is great.
great flick, just saw it today. One of the great examples of stealiong like a master. Easily as good as "What Lies Beneath," and maybe better. Some of the better plot twists I've seen in a long time.Confidence. a fine film, but its strength is in the acting and the dialogue and not in the plot twists, which, let's face it, is why you see a good con movie.
i rented 2 movies tonight: Catch Me If You Can and An Evening With Kevin Smith.
i enjoyed both very much. basically the KS thing is just footage from when he did speaking engagements at various universities around the country, where he did a Q&A thing. its pretty cool, about 3.5 hours long. and he tells some good stories. the one about Prince is really funny.
the character from that movie that sticks out in my head is the girl who played his almost-wife. i felt so afwul for her.
...because her character made such an impact on me, that when I think of the movie, she's the first thing I think of. And then I have a visual image of Leonardo standing in his pilot's uniform on with aviators, and Tom Hanks standing awkwardly in his suit, and then I start remembering the rest of the story.
oddly enough, she's the character that sticks out a lot for me too. i remember thinking how awful it must have been for her to have this whole wedding planned, and to be 'in love' and then have your fiancee spring this bit of chicanery on you. so you trust him enough to head down to the airport and hope he's there to pick you up. sure, the FBI had to follow you, but you don't understand that he can't get caught, so he's going to leave you hanging. anyway, yeah, i felt horrible for her character. i also felt bad for L.DiCaprio's character. i mean, what a jerk for doing that to this poor 17-year old girl and all. but i think he really did love her and wanted to be with her and settle down with her. and im sure it hurt him really bad to have to let her go the way he did.
i also think Christopher Walken is pure genius.
I watched Abre Los Ojos last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. You keep thinking he's being pulled into some sort of conspiracy and you never can tell what's a dream or a meta-dream or reality or hallucination. The acting wasn't superb but it didn't get bogged down with crazy special effects or other hollywood gimmicks. I liked ti because I really liked the story. The story had a certain Dickian feel to it but not entirely. Anyway, I don't want to say too much about it if you haven't seen the film.
i watched steven spielberg's "the color purple" tuesday night at margo's. excellent movie, but.... god damn!
it's very cool, like a cross between Fahrenheit 451 and The Matrix, with a little bit of 1984 thrown in for good measure.
i adored this movie. guess i was a little slow on the uptake, because i just saw it today. sometimes i think it's good to give movies some space to get past the hype, the opinions, the initial reactions.
Matrix Reloaded **1/2 (out of *****)
Valuable only as part of the larger story (I hope, but I save judgement on this until I see #3). Music during end credits was especially awful.
http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/film/matrix50.html
i just saw Matrix Reloaded. i liked it. i only had one problem, but its small. and the music in the credits? the only song i had a problem with is the 3rd one (by P.O.D.). its terrible.
that link you gave us is hilarious, inkblot. i'm pretty sure its a joke, but... either way, its pretty funny.
go see it. its worth the time, and definitely worth the big screen. i'm not a HUGE matrix fan, but i did like the first film quite a bit. and this one is just as good. oh, and the ending isn't what it says in inkblot's link.
I liked it especially when he said that Aalyah and Gloria what's her nam couldn't be reached for comment.
Not bad... not bad at all... although I thought the very end was kinda dumb.x2 - I saw it and liked it. Then I saw the preview for it. I like the preview better.
is totally enjoyable, smart, funny...if you like that sort of thing, and I DID, it has nice style, just think of doris day/rock hudson sort of thing...lovely
great film, heartwarming, funny, good soccer flick, good coming0of age flick, everything you want in a film. i heartily recommend it.
I disagree completely, scinatfilm. If those traits are everything you want in a film, then Ladybugs would be 1/3rd of everything you want in a film, as the two would be a soccer flick and a coming of age flick, and not heartwarming, funny, or deserve-ed of the "good" adjective in the latter two descriptions. Ladybugs was no more than 3/11ths of everything i wanted in a film, though not less than 6/23rds
Spellbound was pretty damned good. You wouldnt think a documentary about the National Spelling Bee and a handful of its contestants would hold much interest, but i was hooked completely.
i saw the preview for spellbound a couple of months ago and have wanted to see it. that's awesome that it is good. i need to go to it. i love nerdy kids and i love spelling.
Frailty (good), Matrix II (okay), XMen II (very good), Down With Love (okay), Spirited Away (unbelievably good), Chicago (good), Men With Honor (okay).
but Matrix 2, I thought it was horrible, too long on the fighting and chasing, bad dialogue, awful pseudo-philosophical banter, it was trying to be so convoluted that it lost itself. But I concur that xmen 2 was very good, and much better than the first one. And I've been saying for months that everyone in the world needs to see Spirited Away, there aren't enough hand drawn animated movies these days.
The reason I give Matrix II an okay was the special effects. I know they shouldn't drive a movie but the fight scenes (though too long) and the chase scenes were very cool. I agree with the rest of what you said. The hip hop industrial video in Zion was especially bad. As for Spirited Away, you are absolutely correct. That movie was astonishing. It rivals Through the Looking Glass in terms of creativity. The characters were extraordinary. And there was nothing formulaic about the plot. Kudos to the folks involved with that movie.
John Cusack often gets stuck just hanging out in films. He is so recognizable and the roles he gets are often the same. He's good, always, I think, at his haning out ability. But in the film Identity he is awesome. The movie is awesome the gazillion twists are awesome, the gore is awesome. I loved it really i did. Summertime is when all the good shit comes out. FUCK THE OSCARS! Who needs to cry when you can blow shit up and watch the guts come flying at the screen.
and the fubar goes to..........The Transporter
worst movie ever
I liked. At least it was entertaining (if not for all the right reasons). I saw that on Friday, and saw Mr. Dave Clooson coming into the theater as we were leaving. Man, I always see that guy. But I wish it were for longer and we could actually hang out soon...anyway, I really did like this Matrix much better than the first one. I was mostly going to be a good girlfriend, but ended up having liking it okay. Poor Hernando is great about going to all these social "functions" with me, for work or whatever and they aren't always fun, and all the poor guy asks is that I watch a movie with him now and then.Unfortunately I have a problem with movies. If I am at home or someone's house where I feel comfortable, I'll get up every ten minutes and just wander around or go do the dishes or...basically, I never end up seeing half of most movies. If I pay to see it and am plunked down in a dark theater, I do much better. We have decided that once a week we will go on a date to the movies. Last weekend was X-Men, which was pretty cool. This Friday we're going to see something more up my alley. Which leads me to the question: I am trying to pick between "Spellbound" and "The Dancer Upstairs." I've seen some good reviews on "Spellbound" here, but has anyone seen "The Dancer...?" If so, give me all of your impressions, good, bad or indifferent.
I ws logged in as AnonymousPoster--is Hernando trying to play a joke on me? Anyway, it's ME, Heidi!
or like chester's long weekend rundown...
XMen II (very good), Spirited Away (really good), 25th hour (good), Comic Book Villans (okay), Analise That (okay), Catch Me If You Can (good), Collinsville (good).
i saw Analyze That on sunday. there are funny parts, but it just seemed to me like they had some jokes that they didn't work in the first one and decided to do another movie to get them in. but they forgot to write a real plot. the movie just seemed to meander off all the time, and there was too much lameness to make anything relaly worth your time. but it wasn't horrible.
But, we all knew the anonymous poster was you...unless someone else in the diner is seeing Hernando. ;)
the thought of Hernando cheating on me is kind of funny. I mean, not because it would be funny in actuality--it would be terrible--but he is so not the type of person who would ever do it that it is funny in theory. Nor am I. People only cheat when they're unhappy in my opinion, and we're certainly not that.Unless you count too many damn hours in front of the X-Box cheating.
i just watched breakfast at tiffany's for about the thirtieth time, the first week we were up here and i just thought i'd say to everyone that if you haven't seen it, you should. it's one of my all time favorites. we just rented mr. smith goes to washington from the library. it's another one at the top of my list. ohh jimmy stewart...
another Gael García Whateverthehellhislastnamewhas movie. It goes something like this: church, drug dealers, scandal, oh she's pretty, scandal, over. I liked it, and the spanish is very good, not too soap opera yet not too text book, and the use of colloquialisms is really good to (how many different ways can you hear someone get told to fuck off?).
last night after eating at the tastee diner we were walking by the AFI Silver and it turned out that the new movie about TMBG called Gigantic. It wasn't playing in the large newly restored theater (HIgh Noon was there) but it was in a smaller stadium style theater. Anyway, the movie is really good and if you have any interest at all in TMBG you should go see it when it comes to town. Apparently on friday the filmakers were there and did a Q&A which would have been cool, but we missed that. According to the website it opens at the music box on june 20 with special guests TBA. I'm also excited because last night the manager came in and gave a spiel about upcoming films at the Silver at they are going to run 2001 in 70mm. I'm excited.
So, I was one of the masses that saw Finding Nemo over the weekend, and I have to say I like Pixar movies, it was very good, funny and touching. I think I'll buy it when it comes out on video.
Indiana Jones Shot-for-shot remake... by kids!
BigJ: if you can find it that is!OAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I borrowed Saving Private Ryan recently. When I mentioned this at work someone pointed out that there was a surprising lack of African American soldiers in the film (I don't remember seeing a single one). I have to say I don't know about the distribution of such G.I.s during the D Day invasion so there's an outside chance that this is actually authentic (the only units portrayed were components of the Rangers and the 101st Airborne). However, the opinion was voiced that this is a reflection of an inherent bias of Mr. Spielberg and that, with few exceptions, he avoids the inclusion of non-caucasians in his films (The Color Purple being one of the bigger exceptions). My colleague (a caucasian) expanded on this theme and pointed out that in Back to the Future there is what could be construed as a veiled slur against African Americans as history is effectively reinvented to show that the white man (Marty McFly) invented Rock'n'Roll rather than Chuck Berry.So, what's your opinion? Is Mr. Spielberg quietly racist, merely biased or completely innocent? Do any of his films have a realistic mix of races? I am not familiar enough with his complete filmography to gauge this. He's obviously played a wide variety of roles (Director, Producer etc.) so I don't know how much direct impact he would have been able to have on the content (I don't think he's actually written very much of what he has worked on).
he's just a tool who probably didn't even think about it.
Really seems pretty "conspiracy theoryish" to me... it's just funny to imagine Michael J. Fox as having invented rock and roll. Although the truth of the matter would be, of course, that Chuck Berry really invented it anyway, since that's who (ultimately) brought it to McFly in the first place.The other accusations, about his other films, etc... I guess I haven't watched enough, or actively watched enough of his movies to notice that, and I guess if he did have a bias, then his Marty McFly Switcheroo might be more suspect.
The other side of the coin though is an honest look at ideas of diversity and inclusivity expectations. Nowadays, we expect movie casts to be diversified, even if it stretches the truth. I call it "The Bennetton Effect." I think this is done partly for "social justice" reasons, but I suspect that it is also partly done for the purposes of demographics and political correctness.
What it comes down to is that just because many of Spielberg's movies seem absent of people of African descent (which may or may not be true) this does not mean conclusively that he has a bias against them -- he may simply not tell stories that often feature black characters and/or he may not care to make characters black simply to add color to the cast.
I think a more interesting question is this: "If Spielberg never thinks about race while casting or writing his stories and only casts white people, does this mean he has an inappropriate bias against blacks?"
I saw Wrong turn and holy hell was that thing fucking bad. it made me want to shit myself, it was like the worst movie ever ever ever.
Thanks to the imdb, we get this great review:In a throwback to 1970's horror films such as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Hills Have Eyes", "Wrong Turn" is an independently-made horror film about a group of five youths on a hiking trip in the Appellations of West Virginia who become prey to a family of cannibalistic mountain men who have become horribly disfigured through generations of in-breeding.
Appellations???
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Appellation \Ap`pel*la"tion\, n. [L. appellatio, fr. appellare: cf. F. appellation. See {Appeal}.]
1. The act of appealing; appeal. [Obs.] --Spenser.
2. The act of calling by a name.
3. The word by which a particular person or thing is called and known; name; title; designation.
Haha.
Was Wrong Turn bad compared to Texas Chainsaw Massacre? I mean, did you go in there expecting a dumb slasher movie and end up getting something worse?
i believe that saving private ryan would be, albeit possibly, accurate by default, re: the tuskeegee airmen. but who knows, maybe ol' steve is a member of the NAAWP
Yes, that was my thought (segregation of units). The broadest scene in the film is the beach landing and that was still limited to the stretch where the Rangers landed. I don't know if the information on the diversity of combat units is available.I agree with pedro that our sensitivities to racial diversity have been raised, and maybe, in this case, excessively. I also agree pedro's point that it would be difficult to argue a mere personal preference into a count of racism unless there was a lot of supporting information.
Naturally a google search for "spielberg" and "racist" yields plenty of strong opinions and conspiracy theories (the main foci appear to be Amistad and Empire of the Sun, neither of which I have seen). This is one of those occasions where a comprehensive search engine is much worse than content vetted by humans.
wasnt back to the future all Robert Zemeckis? Maybe Im wrong.
Took the kid to his first ever movie when we went to see Finding Nemo last friday. He liked it alot. So did I.
Applachian mountains are "appealing". But paying more than $8 to see "Wrong Turn" would be a super "appellation"! But seriously, this movie is a summer release? WTF? I know that summer movies aren't usually high on content (which is usually replaced with explosions)....but I can't explain the existence of this movie. We should start some kind of fundraiser to get Instantcofi's money back. Argh.I don't know about anybody else, but I have a real soft spot for "Teen Wolf" (w/ Michael J. Fox). It's been airing on Showtime lately. If I could only count the hours I spent watching that movie and it's ridiculous finale. Memories.
The Armed Forces were not forcibly integrated until 1948 by presidential order (President Truman, if you care). No African-American units landed on D-Day, and most African-American units in ETO served as quartermaster units. These men and some women were responsible for the famed "Red Ball Express" which was one of the Allies' greatest strengths, mobile logistics, and one of the key elements in supporting Patton's Third Army and the rush to blunt the Bulge Offensive by rushing the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne to the battle area.There are some major examples, such as the 369th Infantry (Colored) Regiment of WWI, and the "Red Devils", the 332nd Fighter Group, the Tuskegee Airmen, in WWII.
The most famous segregated regiments are the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made entirely of Japanese Americans and attached to the 92nd Infantry (Colored) Division, which is the single most decorated regiment in Army history, and the 369th Infantry (Colored), which saw more combat than any other American unit in WWI (I suggest you read "The Unknown Soldiers by Arthur E. Barbeau).
Therefore, Spielberg is accurate in his descriptions. As for the rest of his movies, I would have to go back and view them, but aren't you all forgetting that one of his major works is "The Color Purple"?
The information on diversity of units is available. Go to army.mil, and then on to the Center for Military History, and you should find a discussion of the history of the Army online.Also a Yahoo search should help you. Any good general bookstore will also have books on what is referred to as the "Jim Crow Army".
If you're interested in baseball, any good biography of Jackie Robinson will deal with his service in the Army. It's Robinson's example in the major leagues and Branch Rickey's experiment thereof that is credited (and the valor of the segregated units in combat) that decided President Truman in favor of integration in 1948.
We did mention that movie early on as one of the strikes against the conspiracy.
... was actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Some really interesting questions raised and a lot of loose ends. I'll be interested to discuss some of this stuff once more people have seen it.
but then I also don't think that Spielberg is all that racist due to movies like Amistad, the Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, and of course E.T. even aliens can get role sin his movies! However it was a great WHITE shark...
last night i saw a movie i think it's called "the orchid thief". I liked it to an extent, on of the guys from office space is in it, you know, the protagonist, anyway, there were some kinda neat plot turns, but over all it sucked so bad, my ass hurt so much by the end of it, it wasn't even funny. and yes, my ass hurting, that is how a judge a movie to be bad.
I saw the Matrix Reloaded and liked it but I didn't say anything because I thought it was the new movie that was cool not to like.
I know what you mean. Anyway, I "liked" it, too. I mean it was certainly entertaining, and did present some interesting issues. My main problem with it are the fight scenes. They seem to go on for too long and are redundant. I mean, Neo kicks some ass, great. Got it. But Neo kicking ass in the same fashion for fifteen continuous minutes got a bit monotonous. And the love story seems pretty unfounded (but I guess an action/sci-fi/whatever kind of movie this is) isn't going to have some deep-seated complex love story. That's not supposed to be the focus. But yes, Pedro, I welcome a discussion of some of these issues when the time is right and it won't spoil the plot for any potential viewers.
Seriously lukas, I really enjoyed it. It's the first movie in a long time that my immediate reaction after seeing it was, "I really want to see that again, asap," because of all the stuff I want to listen to again, or see again. I thought they took it in a really neat and unexpected direction.
Cinnamon G: There were two or three times when I thought that the fighting scene was dragging on a little bit. Especially the battle with the agent clones. I actually thought the love story was woven into the story very well. From the frist movie you get this image of love being a force more powerful than death bringing Neo back to life and at the same time bringing Neo and Trinity together. I don't think it comes off as contrived in reloaded at all because I think the matrix saga is all about hope and love.Pedro: I also wanted to see it again after I left the theater. It had more flaws than the first film, but it was also much more complex than the first film. It no longer was a b&w fight of good v evil but with villians and heros. I won't say too much so as not to ruin it for those that still want to see it. If you do go see it, go in with an open mind and don't get hung up on the flaws.
I completely agree with you.
I felt that it was the sci-fi equivallent of Speed. It was Keanu runnign all over trying to save the day, and the drawn out fight scenes and chase sequences just ruined it for me. Maybe if there were more scenes of shorter duration that would work for me, but scenes like the highway chase/fight just made me want to fast forward the film.
Yeah -- the fight scenes were too long. Almost like it was a Kung-Fu movie! (oh wait...!) But that didn't ruin it for me.
that didn't bother me, it was that the action that was there was too long and repetitive. I felt like I was watching the same fight/chase for the entire movie.
matrix reloaded: i liked the film a lot. there were some great moments and cinematically it was quite an enjoyable romp. and i will see it again, i agree with pedro's assessment. but having said that, the love story was the weakest element of the first film, and it was front and center here. i do agree that it was well woven into the story, but that just made the whole story weaker. as for the dialogue, there was too much posturing and pseudo-philosophy for me. give me a good metaphysical discussion any day, but don't make it half-assed. at least james cameron knew enough to keep the action moving in t2 without getting too deep. of course, that's because of the infamous paradox: where did the first terminator come from? But seriously, i liked equilibrium and dark city much more. all in all, i gave the matrix reloaded three stars out of four, and yes, i'll probably buy it.a sidebar on "speed" it is my contention (and i don't care if shredzilla disagrees), that speed is a very well-constructed film form beginning to end. the writer wen on to pen "band of brothers" and create "boomtown," which is one of the most original shows on television. but back to speed. all suspension of disbelief aside, as well as being a suspenseful film, the action sustains itself remarkably well over repeated viewings. and the dialogue is serious enough to keep the average moviegoer interested, while keeping the tone tongue in cheek, much like the script of "the rock"
as for mr. spielberg, i think that, amistad and the color purple aside, all you have to do is look at "hook." the lost boys are a veritable rainbow. and i think he has two three adopted african-american kids himself. thanks, gunch, for bringing in the great history lesson. i'll check out those books.
It's possible that someone concocted the Spielberg rumor to try and tarnish his image.
As I mentioned above, there appear to be plenty of folk out there who disagree with his religious and/or political standpoint and are keen to drag him down. He's a well-known figure and thus a big target. The person with whom I was discussing the topic doesn't particularly dislike Mr. Spielberg and seemed to just want to put the possibility forward for consideration. I had never looked at Mr.S's work in this light and was wondering if there was any clear evidence to disprove the theory. However, even if there's no evidence to the contrary it doesn't mean that claims of explicit bias in his works are true.
"ye olde argument from silence"
My stepmom did lots of research on him for the award she gave him/the Shoah Foundation, and she would havenpointed out something like that. He seemed like a perfectly nice guy when I met him, but that was only for a second. I'll stick ot not liking the MAtrix, but that won't keep me from seeing the third one, funny little hypocrisy. But it's time to go home. I think this entree should just turn into a countdown for the Return of the King, now that's a movie I can't wait for. Who's going to be down for watching all 3 movies (extended version of course) with me when they are all on DVD, let me tell you that will be a 12 hours well spent! I bet by the end it will really feel like you were there!
somewhere in all this nonsense about spielberg, we overlooked neo's comment on (quoting tom) "the orchid thief". tom, you're absolutely insane if you had any problems with that movie whatsoever. i'm being dogmatic and harsh as hell, but the movie (actually entitled 'Adaptation') was so unbelievably amazingly beautiful it hurts.
anyway, ROTK!! woohoo! can't fucking wait! does anybody know where we can see trailers for it?
BigJ: you must have forgotten your glasses. The action was not at all homogeneous. Stylistically it was all cut from a kung-fu mold but the individual scenes all had different quirks to them and they were all very well choreographed.Sci: The love story not only works well in reloaded, it strengthens the film as a whole. ANd the philisophical nature of the film is one of those aspects that if it was overt would have killed the film because we would have all fallen asleep. I think that's why it seems kind of flaky at times because they can't spend tons of time on deep metaphysical dialog. But they succeeded in maknig a film that is a great starting point for discussions of that nature. And had that not been a theme of the movie, it would have been another action flick with chicks in tight leather and shiny sunglasses.
but back to wrong turn. its still as of what, 2 days later, still amazes me how bad of a film it was...worse than Crash which I walked out of. I would have walked out of this one too, but I was having to much fun laughing outloud and pissing people off. This is coming from the girl who loved Jason X (or friday the 13th 10...) And Jason VS. Freddy is going to be the best fucking day of my fucking puny life!
i fell asleep for a half hour in the matrix reloaded and i wasn't even tired. it was very boring to me. i don't like movies that are blue and cold, usually, because they seem bloodless. but that isn't even what killed it for me. it had no stakes at all, so all of the action seemed meaningless. watching that movie was like watching someone play a videogame, which is also very boring to me. but i realize some people enjoyed that movie/i am not trying to put it down. but esp. the scene on the highway drove me mad because it was so devoid of humanity...here are all of these cars that are smashing into other cars and everything and it is never shown that there are people in these cars/ that there are people dying/instead it is just cars dying. there was just no emotion or anything gripping. and if people can be brought back to life, then who cares if they die? no stakes... i understand that the special effects were very good, but they didn't save it for me, because it just kept going on and on and on. and also the orgy scene cut with the keanu/trinity sex scene was awkward, way too long, and made me want to end my life.
i would say that the scenes inside the matrix are purposely blue and cold because they are trying to show the contrast between false reality and the true reality which the residents of zion are fighting for. I wish they had dealt with the fact that the death of the matrix means the physical death of all the plugged in humans, but I wouldn't be surprised if that is a theme in the final film.
'spellbound' was wonderful. i would recommend it wholeheartedly...very well done and interesting and touching and sad and funny.'bend it like beckham' was a pleasure to watch, seriously. a good little film, totally funny and original. i would recommend that as well.
and i know that i already said that i liked 'down with love.' has anyone else seen this? i know raskol enjoyed it a lot as well. chris k? heidi? anyone? it is also very funny.
these are all very lighthearted films and we need those sometimes, huh.
Lukas, I did not forget my glasses when going to the MAtrix and the choreography was tolerable, but Keanu fights like he has a stick up his ass. His movement is stiff and has no flow (which kung fu is supposed to have lots of). It's like watching the damn girls in Charlie's Angels fight, they have no actual skill and so it's made up with camera angles and kind editing, and that bothers me. I'll say that he has improved from the first movie, but still he is no good, it was like watching Chow Yun Fat do sword play in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, he is great with a gun, but a sword? I think not.I agree with Mercury that it was devoid of humanity, but I could see that as intentional since the Zionists did seem to have a certain contemption for people still plugged in to the MAtrix.
see, you are getting hung up on what you see as flaws in the movie. The really good discussion should be about AI and the evil(?) creator and the ethical problem of killing all the plugged in beings. The best twist in my mind was the feral programs. These AI constructs are free in the matrix but why have they sided with free humans. They are fighting for the destruction of the matrix and their own doom. They have no physical bodies to speak of but otherwise they wuold certainly appear to be alive. And those albino dudes certainly bring new meaning to 'ghost in the machine.' One could certainly have a discussion of this nature without a movie base it around, but this makes it much more fun. (apologies for the disjointed post, work kept intruding.)
I work all day at the factory
Building a machine that's not for me
There must be a reason that I can't see
You've got to humanize yourself
that it's supposed to be blue and cold and devoid of humanity--i was not complaining that it should have been different- i was just saying that it is not something that i like very much.
But were they really working towards their own doom? Or perhaps their own freedom -- eschewing the masters that hate them both?I think I'll make a Matrix entree so we can continue this discussion there.
thanks for reminding me the english title of that movie. That alone makes the movie make more sense, in a "oh, now I get it" kind of way, you know? see, from my perspective, i couldn't understand how this movie had almost anything to do with the orchid thief himself, because it was all focused on mr. cage's character (i thought). It totally makes more sense now. cool, that's all i needed was the title.
glad i could help.
You add a great dynamic to the diner. As you did in Film and Lit class. I remember Dooley talking about how uncomfortable he was watching Clockwork Orange next to one of his female students and telling her parents about it at graduation. Anycrap, a few words: I loved the sets, costumes, and dance number during the credits of Down With Love. Oh, and the "twists" in it. But I found the rest of it kind of forced. As for the Matrix, I completely agree with "the orgy scene cut with the keanu/trinity sex scene was awkward, way too long, and made me want to end my life." :) Lastly, this weekend my wife and I saw Finding Nemo and Antonia's Line (I think that's the title) and they both were wonderful.
I've seen Pillow Talk and can't imagine how rene zellweger and ewan macgregor could improve on rock hudson and doris day. Is it more than a poor imitation of the original?
Watching K-19 The Widowmaker was like history class: interesting and semi-factual but a soporific at the same time. It's a fascinating story but harrison ford has one facial expression, the nasty scowl, and the attempts at suspense left me wishing i had rented hunt for red october instead.
My first impression is that you would not enjoy DWL if you compared it to something like Pillow Talk. It has to be thought of as a modern poke at the genre. The sexual innuendos were definately meant to be over the top, but it was a little much for me. As for the sub movies, Red October was definately better than K19. I thought the U90210 movie was good. And I need to see Das Boot from what folks tell me.
is the ultimate submarine film (so far). Nothing else comes remotely close. Get the two-DVD version and be sure to watch the director's comment section.
I really want to see this, per L.L.'s and a few other people's recommendations. It looks very funny and charming. Unfortunately, I have a dilemma here. I cannot STAND Renee Z. I mean, like, I loathe her. She is a scrunchy faced annoying twit. Not that I dislike her because of the scrunchy face--I think she'd be kind of cute if it weren't for just, well, her being her. And the dilemma comes in because I love Ewan. Really really love him. Not just because of Moulin Rouge, which is my favorite movie ever, but because he is just all-around awesome in everything he's in. And in real life, very funny and cool (well, so he seems. It's not like we hang out or anything). So, I have to know EXACTLY how annoying she is in this movie. Dare I see it? I will have to weigh this one out.
Mine's toast. I brought it in and they said the repair would cost more than a new one. It's 2 years old. The VCR is over 10 years old and going strong. Anycrap, the tech told me DVD players have a 2 to 3 year lifespan. Has anyone ever heard that before?! Of those of you with DVD players, have you had problems with them lasting more than 2 or 3 years?
that's absurd!
I don't want to start anything, but it looks as though they might build a death chamber at camp xray. Of course remember that this is not final until the prez sez so. They just want to be ready so that they're not starting from "scratch".
sorry, well, whatever, noone will read it anyway.
This is one of those moments when I wish I was familiar with the Geneva Conventions and how something like this measures up. Neoacerbitas, perhaps you could parse this out on a more appropriate entree; or maybe I could just get off my ass and look.
I could be wrong, but I've got one of those uneasy feelings that 'enemy combatant' does not mean the same thing as 'prisoner of war'.
So I've been on a Bob Fosse kick lately. I wanted to see his actual films, rather than the ones he inspired (like Chicago). So I saw Cabaret and Sweet Charity; I saw All That Jazz a while ago. They were certainly interesting and entertaining films, and the dancing was fantastic, but as with Chicago, they aren't great muscials. Now I'm sorry, but even people who don't like musicals would likely prefer one where the songs move the plot along, but that doesn't happen in any of these films. While they're good, give me Sondheim or even Rodgers and hammerstien.Just saw Century Hotel recently. Good, strange little flick.
A couple other offbeat films: The Weight of Water, Secretary, Real Women Have Curves
Tears of the Sun. OK, I was expecting another "Behind Enemy Lines." Wow. I could not have been more wrong. It was like a cross between Black Hawk Down and Schindler's List. I definitely recommend it, but don' watch it for the acting.
Revisiting About Schmidt. What a great film. It had all the pathos and humor of As Good As It Gets (which I like) without the Hollywood ending.
Saw The Pianist. I have to say the first hour was not remarkable for a Holocaust film. I hate to sound calloused, but we've seen it before. But the second half was amazing, and Brody was great.
I have more stuff, but my battery is running low.
Next time.
"without the Hollywood ending" though i liked it, including the ending, i would say it was a 'hollywood ending'.
instantcofi: YOu said, "We are the students so we must be right... hah hah" (or something liek that) -- You're right though -- you will be right, in about 20 years, when you're the professors. :)
So, Gregory Peck has died at age 87, and I just wanted to say that I've never seen a movie with Peck in it that I didn't like, "Bringing up Baby" "To Kill aMockingbird" "Moby Dick" "Captain Horatio Hornblower" and many others. He was a great actor and a great man.
please erase "bringing up baby" from the list above thanks, I had to get that on here before Chris read this. :)
but I had a little chuckle anyway. It's too bad that he died, though. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Check out "Gentleman's Agreement" if you haven't seen it yet. One of his finest performances.
check it out. pretty cool. 'specially if you can dig animated sci-fi.
i haven't read "catcher in the rye," but the film was interesting, well shot and good music. unfortunately, it was predictable as all hell, but still worth the watch. and that's also how I feel about The Recruit.
there was a film? that just seems blasphemous,,,but i'll have to see it.
"it was predictable as hell, but it wasn't that bad."
pedro = holden! Now it all becomes clear.
I had just decided i need to read it. I got tired of people asking me what I thought of the book, me telling people i hated it, and then having to admit i'd never read the damned thing...
I can't remember who had said that these things come in threes.
but what are you talking about pedro?
Gregory Peck, David Brinkley, and now Hume Cronyn. People say they come in threes.
ok
i saw a great documentary the other day at the LA film fest. it was called "sunset story" and was about this convalescent home on sunset blvd. that houses leftist residents...these lovely leftover people from that era/they are in wheelchairs and they still go to rallies about different issues/they have a "free-thinkers" meeting once a week, outside their little apts are signs scrawled in their shaky handwriting, saying "free mumia" "HMO's make me sick!" they sit around singing their union songs...it was so interesting. afterwards, the residents stood up with the filmmakers and talked to the crowd. it was great. and is pushing something inside of me, more and more, to get to work on a documentary.
"SUNSET STORY is a funny, intimate documentary drama that will change the way you think about growing old. Against the backdrop of Sunset Hall, an old-age home for political progressives, the film goes inside the world of two women, Irja (81) and Lucille (95), whose feisty engagement with life draws them together inextricably."
Grumpy Old Women!
I just watched Amelie for the first time, after hearing/reading about it, and having everyone and their mother suggest it to me. That movie is one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. I think I'm in love.
that is a tremendous movie....it is flawless, i think.
i like it because it's such a drastically contrasting work from his/her/their/indon'tcare's previous movie "Le cite des enfants perdus" or some shit like that. I personally can't wait for his next film "Un long dimanche de fiançailles", "A very long engagement". it sounds really cool...of course...there's that whole alien resurrenction thing to think about.
...alien ressurection was SO terrible. Slashdot had a poll of "worst sci-fi movie ever," and they predictably put "Alien 3" on there because, as everyone knows, all geeks must hate alien^3, even though it was an oscar-worthy masterpiece compared to the piece of nonsensical MTV that Alien: Ressurection was.
was preaty good. i always forget that i really like kevin kline. at first i was totally like "i liked this movie better the first time i saw it when it was called dead poets society" but, i was wrong it's really worth renting.
that's exactly what i was thinking phil. then i finished watching it and realized that i liked it.
Speaking of Gregory Peck, Atticus Finch was just voted the top heroic character of all time, ahead of Indiana Jones and James Bond. Pretty cool!
Kevin K-line. Haw haw.
Saw Narc last night. I think I liked it... very violent. Not good for the weak in the belly. It did make me think, which I think is a good thing.
I'm going to see it this Sat with a bunch of folks... Michael Wilmington has good things to say about it, and he's not usually prone to gushing...
I enjoyed it immensely, makes me feel good about getting baptized, like soon I'll have this relationship with God, ha ha. It was super funny though. Jim Carrey has totally redeemed himself to me.
juice too stupid with computers to figure out how to sign off alaric and log juice in. don't make juice angry or juice will look like fool with green complection and muscle torn clothes. Juice feel Embarassed when people see juice like this. I did not see the hulk, but I will sooner than later. I did see Matrix Re-bloated and man! that movie literally crapped in its own pants. The best thing about it were the jokes you could come up with while watching it. Morpheus: "Everybody, pay attention to me while Neo gets laid!!!!! We're all going to die!!!! Let's Dance! Put on your red shoes and DANCE!" Yeah..... I didn't like Matrix 2 at all.
I fear watching Amelie with laura or any future girlfriend, just because I love Amelie so much I'd just drop the girl next to me. I mean, yeah, Amelie is a great film.
I'd marry Audrey Tautou (sp?) in a nano-heartbeat. seriously. she makes me weak in the knees.
sort of looks like Amelie, or at least how the actress looked for that movie. So I think. Now that I have left a hoard of guys stalking you, sorry, Jen. I agree that Amelie, both the movie and the character, are just too cute for words.
i went to this movie over the weekend thinking it would be something else, which i won't mention because i was wrong, and it's embarrassing. so i sat down in the theatre and it's like "jet li" and i was like alright, not what i expected...and then it was like "DMX" and i was like WHAT THE FUCK!!!! cause i definitely wasn't expcting that. but i stayed and watched the movie because 1)the ticket was four fifty. 2)don't knock it until you try it and all that shit.
so it wasn't really that bad, but i have to say the dmx had most his trouble (i think) when he was trying to play the family man, or acting like he knew what the fuck was going on cracking a safe (not that i do, but, really).
Old School last night, not oscar calibur, but pretty darn funny at parts. Oh, and I thought Amelie was good, but some of the camera work left me annoyed, I don't know why it just did. I want to see the Hulk, anyone seen it yet? And did you enjoy it or not? And if people haven't are you down for it this weekend? Talk to me people! Oh wait I need to post this first, never mind!
...and I really liked it. Not flawless, but it left me super excited about it, and thikning they did a really great job bringing a comic to life. Not as solid as X2, but also a completely different kind of movie, at least as different as two comic book movies can be. I thought cooler overall than Spider-Man.It would be neat if they would take this moment of marvel comic book movie-mania to do a big crossover story -- like the X-Men, Hulk, and Spider-Man all team up for something. It would never happen, but it would be very cool if it did.
that the hulk wasn't bad, I heard good things about it, but was scared after that first tv ad, but then heard that Ang Lee didn't want that ad released because it was colored by the ad people and made it look really crappy.
the ads were terrible looking. i thought the cg in the movie looked much better than in the ads -- there weree only a couple places whree if elt that the CGI didn't deliver.
Ok, so recently announced, I haven't heard anyone say anything about it anyway, Nov. 18, 2003 is the release date for the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition, with 43 minutes of footage added in, and two bonus discs of special neato stuff. The Movie version comes out soon, but if you wait until Nov. you can buy the spiffy 43 minute longer version. Personally I am waiting for the all 3 movie edited together with special footage version that makes it easier to sit and watch the 13 hours that is the Lord of the Rings movie, HELL YEAH!!!Just thought ya'll should know.
i don't know if i put this in when i spoke of this movie, but my big problem with it is when the helicopter gets shot down by the tank...the black helicopter that turns red and then black again...
im too lazy to scroll up and see, but has anyone seen or mentioned Antwone Fisher? i just watched it tonight. i liked it. i even cried.
link
I watched the original E.T. (not with the crappy enhanced scenes added in 2002) for the first time in about 14-15 years. Folks, it was amazing.I nearly cried. The film's score alone makes me almost tear up.
... is perhaps the most appropiatly named movie I've ever seen.
I LOVE American Psycho. I saw it in the theatre when it first came out and it's still an awesome film after repeated viewings. And don't even get me started on all the great lines from the movie! One of my all time faves. Just psychotic.
I just watched it with my mom tonight. I really liked it. We laughed our asses off.
I'm a little suspicious of anyone loving American Psycho. However I have been thinking about Huey Louis & The News a lot more lately. I really think the best aspect of the movie was his repeated confessing followed by misunderstanding. Good stuff..."What are you into?"
"Murder and Execution."
"Do you like it?"
I think the film was made really well, and Christian Bale, plays an emotion-free male perfectly. But the book was much more. THat's all it was just much more.
Alex and Emma
Fun romantic comedy. Predictable at times, but likeable dialogue and the whole writing a novel aspect was really fun.
Charlie's Angels 2 Not so good. Poor plot structure. Neat explosions. Underdeveloped characters. Too intentionally sexy for sense. Etc. (No one is surprised)
I'm not often surprised by films any more, but two films I recently saw i liked a lot, much to my surprise.The Hulk - I can certainly understand why a lot of people hated it, but I really liked it. So much so that I was able to turn off, for most of the film, my little critic's voice and just enjoy it. It was reminiscent of the classic universal monster movies, like Frankenstein or The Wolf Man, very brooding, alienated, but fun too, as all good comic book movies must be.
How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days - OK< feel free to make fun of me for this one, but I can't explain why I liked it so much. There were certainly great moments that stand out, but the plot was rather cliched. Still, the film rose above it. i liked a whole lot.
Now the thing to remember with these films, is that I'm NOT receommending them. I'm simply sharing in a forum of my peers that I liked them. What you choose to do with that is your own business. Now, if you want recommendations, let me know, but here I was just sharing.
(It's all about CYA; I don't want someone mad at me later.)
I'm not often surprised by films any more, but two films I recently saw i liked a lot, much to my surprise.The Hulk - I can certainly understand why a lot of people hated it, but I really liked it. So much so that I was able to turn off, for most of the film, my little critic's voice and just enjoy it. It was reminiscent of the classic universal monster movies, like Frankenstein or The Wolf Man, very brooding, alienated, but fun too, as all good comic book movies must be.
How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days - OK< feel free to make fun of me for this one, but I can't explain why I liked it so much. There were certainly great moments that stand out, but the plot was rather cliched. Still, the film rose above it. i liked a whole lot.
Now the thing to remember with these films, is that I'm NOT receommending them. I'm simply sharing in a forum of my peers that I liked them. What you choose to do with that is your own business. Now, if you want recommendations, let me know, but here I was just sharing.
(It's all about CYA; I don't want someone mad at me later.)
I watched Pedro Almodóvar's "Talk to her" last night, it's strange, but there's one part that just blows my mind in it's very spanish way. Anyway, it's about a couple of guys that hang out with chicks in comas. I would say that a good portion of the movie is done in this neat black and white silent film kindof way, it's a neat step for pedro to take and makes the movie really humorous. I will always recommend his films, and the film by his brother, "devil's backbone"I also watched "the pianist" it was good, i liked it. then i watched "tears of the sun" which was also pretty good, but it makes me think that maybe we should be sending our troops all over the world where people keep killing each other, but i know that is wrong because it costs us money, and a lot of people don't like it when we help out either.
I saw a bazillion movies this weekend. Maybe more than I have seen ever in my life in the span of two days. I was in Milwaukee, main reason being to see my boyfriend. (Which was great, but that's off the topic). So I had hoped to do some tourist-y things, being that I don't live there, but being sick as heck prevented me from leaving the house pretty much at all. We watched "Real Women Have Curves." It was great. I loved the protagonist, Ana. It is very realistic and you see all sides of the story, where every character is coming from even though you want to slap the mom sometimes.We also rented "Punch-Drunk Love." It is really odd. Sometimes good odd, sometimes odd for apparently no reason. Overall I liked it. For those who don't believe it, Adam Sandler is a talented actor. You really want to cry at how pathetic he is in that movie.
Then we watched four other movies that aren't worth discussing. I had seen some fo them already. We didn't feel like going back to Blockbuster and they were laying around the house. T.J.'s improv partner Dave was in one of them. I never would have spotted it but Hernando about had a heart attack when he caught it, and he recognizes people he saw for a split second on the street two years ago. Once he pointed him out, I freaked out, too. This would be the Dave of the T.J. who dates Laura L.'s sister Holly. I need to speak to T.J. about this, since I don't know Dave besides meeting him once and he;d have no idea of who the hell I am.
...was actually worth seeing. It's not as good as T2, but it's a fun action movie, and it has some cool twists worthy of the franchise, and a very sci-fi ending.
Saw Antwone Fisher last night. I thought it was very good. I'm sure the "Happiness, Requiem for a Dream, Kids" crowd will find fault, but I liked it.
its definitely a different movie than those others you mention. but a film that tells a story well is still good, in my opinion. I've never seen Happines or Kids. maybe i should?
this is a really good movie. there are a lot of little things that make it so well done and very enjoyable.
I thought Kids and Happiness were breakthrough movies when I saw them in the theater. Although, even in my most Nihilistic period I found them disturbing. Since then I've definately grown a soft spot and have trouble with ultra-disturbing movies. I can't shake them off very easily. Hence, I haven't seen Requiem. I won't say any of those movies are bad and unworthy of seeing. But I can't recommend them either. I compare Antwone Fisher to them b/c they all deal with difficult subject matter and have disturbing scenes, most dealing with children. I think fans of Kids will see AF as too tidy. I would argue that Kids was too fatalistic.
Or for that matter...all/most of Larry Clark's movies. Ever seen "Bully?" He's also got a new one called Ken Park (or "Krap Nek") that's been banned in a Australia or New Zealand...I can only imagine what Larry put in this film.As for "Requiem"....it's little too much for the average person. Everything that could go wrong in that movie...goes horribly wrong. The finale has to be seen to be believed. A very effective film no less.
The same thing with "Kids" and "Bully"...you won't forget the final scenes.
Finding Nemo was a very fun movie to watch, and the turtles were funny.Saw Gangs of New York last night, Meagan thought it was way to bloody, and I probably agree, but I enjoyed it because I thought the story was well spun, and the characters were very engaging. Daniel Day Lewis was great, and even DiCraprio wasn't all that bad. But then I think my only issue with him is that he's a pretty boy. It did put about 6 years of history happening in one year, but that's ok, it was pretty acurate other than that. All in all a good movie.
BigJ, you are the first person i can recall in recent history that has said anything so positive about that movie. It never looked good to me, and I have heard such horrible things about it that i will probably have to be bored out of my skull and practically forced to watch that movie. but i'm glad you liked it anyway.
I have seen Requiem for a Dream. I liked Pi (how would i find the actual symbol to use on here? maybe thats a question for the help desk entree), so I figured i'd check out Aronofsky's Requiem For A Dream. It is really well done, and put together fantastically. but man is it disturbing at the same time. don't watch it by yourself in a dark room. it seriously freaked me out.
thanks for clarifying, Chester. I know what you mean. I'd probably agree that The Antwone Fisher Story was just a little too clean for my understanding. but that it was written by the protagonist himself, based on his own true story, makes that ok, I guess. I mean, it's his story, if he wants it that clean, and just that bit surreal, he's earned it, I guess.
I didn't really think AF was too clean per se. -SPOILER ALERT- I thought he handled the reunion with his surrogate mom and abusive babysitter realistically. And the reunion with his mom. I really liked the juxtaposition of his dream in the beginning with the reunion at the end. I don't know, I was just really moved by it. The fact that his "true family" didn't include his mom and dad was interesting too. It's all a little more timely for me b/c I'm reading the autobiography of Malcolm X as well.
i loved the turtles too, and the seagulls. oh boy, did they ever pin them!
They're not all like that, they're just typecast.Just kidding, they reall are all like that.
you make me laugh.The seagulls reminded me a lot of the penguin in Wallace and Grommet. What think you?
that someone got a Wallace and Gromit reference in here. The penguin is the coolest claymation villain ever.
...I just know them seagulls.
Chester, I agree. the whole thing with the dream in the beginning and the ending was perfect! that's when i started bawling my eyes out. and i hadn't really thought about it, but it IS an interesting statement that his real family didn't include his mother and father. the more i think about it, the more i liked this movie. and I liked it very much to begin with!
if you have windows, you should go: start>programs>accesories( i think)> and look around in there and it's folders for a program called "charater map" I use it a lot to find spanish stuff when i use windows. If you're using a mac, which i would suggest go to your harddrive>applications>utilities>kep caps (that's the programs name, it'll show you everything...i hope.
i will do that.
Pirates of the Carribean is a good Pirate Movie. Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush and Orlando Bloom shine superbly in the movie. and the nameless maiden with heaving bosoms... well, she's gorgeous and pulls off her part too.
and yes she is very heaving. The movie was very fun to watch, just a nice not too fast paced action movie, a nice change of pace. pace pace pace
Tully tried to be more than it was. It was good at being a coming-of-age tale on a farm in Nebraska, but it was stretching with the intrigue and the plot twists, but not too much. The characters are wonderful and even for some the flaws of the film it ended up being realy good. The plot and the story had some holes, but the characters really shine and make up for it. It's a beautiful film and the farm scenes are wonderful. Apparently it rained for 14 days straight before the farm scenes were shot and not at all durign the shoot so the hillsides are beautifully lush and green. One word of caution, if you see it, try to get it on DVD, the VHS print is not very good and it's cropped rather than pan&scan and it places I'm convinced they scaled the frame to fit a TV screen so the people look thin and stretched.
Having grown up a hot 10 minutes away from Disneyland, I went there many many times in my youth. Of course, Pirates was one of my favorite rides. So, when I saw the movie, I was delighted at the scenes which started as replicas of the tableau (is that the right word?) from the ride. Anyway, it was great!
you are so right on Elise! I grew up in Clearwater FL, about 2 hours from Eisnerworld, and went there many many times growing up. i even went there on a field trip once. i always enjoyed it, and P.of the C. was always a fun ride. The movie did make some excellent nods to the ride: the pirates chasing the women, and the guys in the jail cell trying to tempt the dog with a bone, and the song (of course). i'd bet there was more, but it has been a longtime since i went on the ride.
ahh, clearwater...
you grew up in Florida? How did I not know that? I consider you my good friend, so I am just, well, surprised that I didn't know where you grew up...sorry, dude. Nothing personal. I thought you were Illinois born-and-bred.
he's part Illinois and part Florida, but we forgave him for the temporary lapse in judgement. Oh and Wags, I figured out why you are so keen on Kiera Knightly, she played Queen Amidala's body double in Star Wars 1 and 2, apparently when both her and Natalie Portman were in the makeup Kiera's mother couldn't tell them apart, and most people think that both parts were played by Portman, and we all know how you feel about her. Well I do at least, and I'm right there with ya.
and yes, i did grow up for a good chunk of time in FL. born in San Diego CA, after 3 years moved to Chicago. when i was 5 or 6 we moved to FL. moved back to Chicago when i was 13, and i've called it home ever since.
2001 in 70mm was great! They showed previews for upcoming movies at the silver including The Birds, Jaws, and Alien. woo!
they showed the best shitty movie ever tonight on USA...i think it was usa, i'm not sure.ALIEN: RESURRECTION
I thought that i would watch it since it was on and since i happen to talk about it about 50% of the time i say anything here. It was so great. It's so jeunet i can't even believe it, to think that he did amelie is crazy.
watched it last night with my sisters. it's kind of nice to have some lighter fare now and again. but pretty much all the funny parts were in the previews. half the movie seems like it might have been sort of improvised or something because you never really get an overall sense of connection.
I loved it. I think it is everything that a movie should be (notice I used "movie" and not "film"). The older I get, the more I realize that my tastes aren't so highbrow. I can appreciate the deeper stuff and debate it and analyse it, but I just can't bring myself to love it as much as I can the magic of happy ever after...
Keira Knightley is also the best friend is Bend It Like BeckhamSaw League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Fun, an interesting idea, and certainly escapist.
And I must agree with blvdgirl. I'm not nearly as highbrow as I pretend to be. I loved Bad Boys 2. It was so much fun, and also a well done film.
Still have to see Pirates, but I did see a film that those of you who like Y Tu Mama Tambien might like. It's called Sex and Lucia, and it's very poetic. It's the same director as Lovers of the Arctic Circle.
<person>grandpa,</person>and I saw Pirates and giggled all the way through, mostly because of Johnny Depp, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Dave Eggers wrote the script and he must have immersed himself in movies like Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk to get the right air of swashbuckling and still set up the tableau pieces that correspond directly to the Disney ride.Going to take Peter V out tonight (it's a surprise) to see Bend It, mostly because his wife said "isn't that the movie with hot women and soccer? I forbid you to see it!" . . .so naturally we are taking him to see it for his birthday
i thought that movie was kindof strange, but not as strange as "talk to her". all spanish movies are weird, i just want you all to know that, you have to know that on the way in, or else.
this whole "graduate from NPU" thing is starting to bug me, all i have to do if finish a movie review right now, and it's on "talk to her" so i've been watching it a lot lately, again tonight even. it just keeps getting weirder and more uncomfortable...and...cooler. I got to the point tonight where i almost couldn't stand it anymore cause i was so disgusted by one of the characters, but i have finally decided that it's a good movie.
rent this thing. its nuts. maybe bites a lil'' off of darren aronofsky, but not so much that its own originality is lost. i love druggy movies. i love watching other people's misery. anyway it's worth it to see Mena Suvari look so gross, when she's normally so beautiful.
I have always thought she was a foul beast.
Hernando and I were talking just today about how we much we despise her, but I can't put my finger on why I do (besides the fact that she can't act her way out of a paper bag). She looks like a preying mantis on crack.I saw a few good movies this weekend. "American Wedding," which I never would have gone to had not the lovely Ms. L@urent had a cameo in it, but it ended up being pretty hysterical. I mean, it is what it is, but funny for what it is. There were these four extremely obnoxious teenagers (young teenagers, like 13) in front of us, cussing and insulting everyone and saying very vile things really loudly, and this was before the lights went out. They had been right in front of us with their parents and some other younger kids in the ticket line and their parents (who did not speak English) were probably taking the younger kids to see "Finding Nemo" or whatever and without knowing what it was let the four boys boys go in to see it. We went and got an usher and told her the kids looked too young to be there alone and were also being extremely offensive, and they had to leave. You can think we're puritanical assholes, it's okay. But I would not want my 13 year old at that movie, though I'm sure they've seen worse, and they were offensive jerks. So that was our good (or bad) deed for the weekend.
Also saw "The Hours," which was wonderful, and even Julianne Moore managed to somewhat redeem herself despite my illogical dislike of her. My favorite was "Nicholas Nickleby," based on the Dickens novel. It was a typical Dickensian tale, full of orphans/underdogs/evil to the core villians/the incorruptible do-gooder (Nicholas)/biazarre plot twists/everyone ends up being related at the end, but I really liked it and thought it was very well done. Dickens movies always end up being awful, but this one stayed true to the novel and was great. I've seen so many movies lately, but there's not a lot to do in Milwaukee, even on the weekends.
How big is Laura's cameo in "American Wedding?" Cause I will go and see it if I will see her and even more excitedly if I will hear her, but I will wait for video if I am likely to miss her in a crowd scene.... No offense, Laura, but I don't know if I am brave enough to endure the movie in a theater filled with my very own highschool students....
i haven't seen this one in a while, but i really loved the movie version of this book.
it's not too extensive--some great shots in the beginning sequence, and then later a few glimpses in a nightclub (which Hernando missed, but I spotted), but you definitely see her, her reaction to some of the stuff going on, etc. My sister said she recognized her immediately. She doesn't have a speaking part, but it was still awesome to think, "that's my friend, in a huge movie!" (albeit THAT movie, since L.L. is worthy of so much more--but to score any role in a film so widely watched is coveted, and I am proud of her). Millions of hopefuls go out to LA all the time, and to get such recognition within a year is awesome. Apparently, they give the speaking parts to the much less talented people, if the movie itself is any indication--though as I said, it was hilarious in its way. Wear a mask to avoid your students). Hernando and I were both freaking out and thought it was so cool to see our Laura on the big screen.
just stank. ashton kutcher had two or three laugh-out-loud funny moments but they couldn't save the movie from being a stinky pile of crap.
lame
at least worthy of comparing to 2001, obviously not as good, but there are some good risks in the film. I liked it a lot, but it's not for everybody.
is one of the worst films i've ever seen. no offense to anyone who liked it...but i did not.i saw "made" with vince vaughan and jon favreau last night. awesome. those guys are priceless. also saw "ocean's eleven." i was prepared to not like it, but it was really good. nice, clean, clever heist movie.
i thought that was a good movie, if not for any other reason than it was funnyalso saw a movie called "second skin" the other night, it's about a strange love triangle between this guy and his wife and the same guy and his gay lover. I thought it was okay, but i'm not too into the whole gay sex scene thing not matter how implied it is.
it wasn't bad. but there was one scene w/ V.Vaughan that was so effing annoying. at first, the scene made its point, and it was fine. but it kept on and on with really annoying lines coming out of his mouth, and i just wanted to punch him and whoever wrote him 3x as much material as he needed for that scene. but i still liked the movie.
V. vaughan was quite annoying in that movie, i think that was his whole point, but it did piss me off. but i've seen it enough now where i can just laugh and be mad instead of just being mad. and screech.
was a surprisingly good movie, very refreshing...i wasnt sure what to expect, but really enjoyed it. it had so many realistic details to it, and truly...campbell scott was great. the film had a sadness to it, but more than that, it just rang true, even down to the kids. so often in movies, kids are really cheeky and say things that kids would never be caught dead saying, but these kids felt very real to me.i liked this movie.
Rad movie. worth the rent.
I have it on DVD. if anybody wants to borrow it. I liked it. I bought it w/ a gift certificate before i had ever watched it. It's pretty cool.
is supposed to be annoying, but I definitely understand your point. What scene are you referring to, Baggins? The one where they get to the hotel and he's trying to be all bling-bling high roller? He was improv-ing a lot in that movie ("Made") and I think he was just going off and being even more abrasive and affrontive than usual. He most certainly can grate on the nerves, but I still think he's funny. "Swingers" in one of my all-time favorites.And hell yeah, Screech's cameo was worth seeing the movie for in itself.
i think the scene is later with peter whatshisface (columbo) in his office where he just won't shut up...
.
finally saw chicago. of the nine or ten other people i watched it with, i guess i was the only one who didn't despise it. but i'm a huge fan of the stage musical, and recognise that it's coldness doesn't really translate well to film, where you expect to identify with your characters and care about them: even the most detestable.four feathers: a great movie for saturday afternoons on tnt or usa. it held our attention for the most part and the scenery is fantastic. gosh, kate hudson red-tressed ain't so great. blonde, she's pretty stunning, however.
silent movie. recommended to me by a coworker. has anyone seen it? mel brooks at his very best, is how it was described to me.
last weekend, i watched nat'l lampoons Van Wilder, twice. It was good. It made me cry. It made sad that i'm not going back to school. If you take away the girls, the money, and the nice school, I am Van Wilder. Just a personal reflection.also, has anyone else noticed that in "Boondock Saints", Willem Dafoe's character is named "Paul Smecker" and if you play with that you get "Smaul Pecker". i think it's funny
Saw the latest Audrey Tatou movie this weekend Dirty Pretty Things about trying to survive London as an illegal alien. Very very good movie. I highly recommend it.
for the first time. i liked it, though it was a strange strange movie, indeed. did you know that Brad Dourif played Piter De Vries (Baron Harkonnen's weasely underling) and is the same actor who portrays Grima Wormtongue in the LOTR films? i saw him and instantly put the connection together. this guy seems practically bred for these kind of slimy roles. don't you think?
He's typecast as "slimy creep." Although, Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is weird, but not really creepy in the same way.But yeah, I really have a soft spot in my heart for Brad Dourif.
Wasn't he in Exorcist III and an episode of the X Files? The only problem with him is that he's exactly the same slimy creep with the same manerisms in every part he plays.
Well, no. I mean, He plays a slimey creep, and he looks a little weird on screen. He'll always look weird on screen, but that doesn't mean the characters are all the same. The dude in prison in the X-Files is not really the guy in Two Towers. I dunno... yes and no. In some ways, he is the same character every time, in other ways, he's so recognizeable as a character actor that I think that partly overshadows his actual acting.
you know? Ron Jeremy. He's in all these "adult" [snicker] films, but he really wants to be a real actor, it's just that whenever you see him it's just like, time for porn. I'm sure he's not trying to get cast as slimey creep all the time, but he's just so good at it. Like Ashton K, (a fellow iowan) he's never going to break in to serious film work, i mean come on, he ruined all chances of that with "Dude, where's my car?" I think typecasting is great, cause it just cements people in their little roles. It's just like the real world with the glass ceiling and all that, except the salary is always really good.
...will always be Ted.
the movie was ok, nothing special, seen better seen worse, but Jennifer Garner looks good in leather pants!Now won't that be a great google search, "Jennifer Garner leather pants"
I finally saw this on Sat. Just me on my couch with a cat.... I really really liked the first hour. Then, I thought I stopped liking it when it went all Hollywood at the end (when the brothers go to New York, then Florida). However, ever since I saw the movie, I've liked that progression more and more and think that I've seen the beauty of its intentionality. That said, when I saw the previews I thought, "That's a movie I'd like to see and maybe own." Now that I've seen it once I think, "That's a movie that I saw once and probably don't need to see again."
alh and I watched Arsenic and Old Lace tonight... it's funny. It's got Cary Grant directed by Frank Capra and others (including Peter Lorre in a very funny role). It's a great movie, but it's a comedy from a bygone era -- it moves slower that we expect nowadays and there were times when I felt like it was dragging on. As though a snappier, more Edited for Television version would be better, or something. BUt still, it's great, and if you want to see a funny, black comedy from 1944, get it.
not quite sure how I came about owning it, but I do, so if anyone wants to borrow a copy of Arsenic and Old Lace that I have no idea where I got from, go for it. :)
try strychnine (HAHA)but seriously folks, my favorite comedy ever is The Philadelphia Story, with Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and KAtherine Hepburn. It don't get much better. Another great black and white comedy
Cary Grant AND Jimmy Stewart... did they explode?
it is witty and blisteringly funny.
Punch Drunk Love and Pool Hall Junkies...
i liked them both. PDL was a strange flick, but i liked it. i truly did. PHJ was fun, though it was like Rounders but with pool, more or less. but i liked it. it was written before Rounders, though, apparently.
Christopher Walken is great!
we saw this one recently, too and i really liked it. for a lot of reasons.one of my hobbies [ahem] is collecting movie trips. by this i mean, best literal trips in movies. even a really poor movie can be made better by a very great trip or fall by any of the characters.
this is what i've got so far:
number one: "hans" in the burbs
number two: kevin bacon's character in she's having a baby
number three: adam sandler's character in punch drunk love.
best be sure the rewind button works.
Was really cool. Fun to see Adam Sandler in a non SNLey role, although it is granted not a huge stretch for him. Still, alh and I really enjoyed it.
Saw Donnie Darko, Identity, Solaris, and Stranded recently. DO NOT waste your time with Stranded. It may look intriguing about Mars and whatnot but it's pathetic. However, the other three are worthwhile. I didn't see the original Solaris but this one was interesting. It wasn't perfect but it was thought-provoking. Donnie Darko and Identity offer compelling storylines along with some powerful imagery and glimpses of what particular forms of psychological disorders might be like. Frailty is a little like that too.
fantastico! great movie except for one short scene which doesn't work at all but that's easy to forget. I liked the way the story unfolded slowly without lots of explanation and dialog. The subtitles were well done and did not detract from the movie. I do wish I spoke french because I bet the the dialog in the original language was quite good. I expect they will release this version on DVD at some point so if you ever see it in you local video shop pick it up. Oh yeah, the music was pretty fabulous too.
Cinnamongirl wrote about seeing Punch Drunk Love and Real Women Have Curves on the same weekend. Kinda funny b/c that's what my wife and I saw this past weekend. Though we also saw the Core. After about 5 minutes of PDL I had decided that it was the best thing Adam Sandler had ever done. I love the way that film maker can create such effective atmospheres in his stories. Real Women is also very good. It was very refreshing in a time when extreme makeover shows are so popular. If you want to see virtually everything that's wrong in today's society wrapped into one hour, see that extreme makeover show. And then the Core wasn't too bad. It was mindless fun.
we drove up to canada tonight to see this one. antonio bandaras, salma hayek and johnny depp. we read bad reviews of it, heard it was really violent and generally not good. they even ragged on johnny depp [who the hell are they?]but we loved it. it's not a thinking man's movie. it's a sequel to desperado and el mariachi. there was a lot of shooting, but very little VIOLENCE as in rape, beating, senseless blood and gore violence. willem dafoe was really cool and creepy, we think the original el mariachi was in it, enrique iglesius was in it. salma hayek. and though i've never really been a member of the antonio-banderas-is-hot club, his eyes melted the screen in this hot little number. not enough salma hayek. man, what a bombshell.
if you want a cool, colorful, beautiful backdrop movie, this is your thing. also, i thought the plot was pretty strong for an action movie. it wasn't the centerpiece, but it helped keep the movie focused and moving.
robert rodriguez is really in the game. he knows what he does well and he does it really well. he also does so much work for his own movies: producing, writing, directing, a lot of the camera work and all the editing. that's pretty impressive nowadays.
i went with jen, my folks and my little sister to see this movie with Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, and Kyra Sedgwick. its a preatty cute movie that i did really enjoy.
Very warm friendly movie.
i went to see this with a friend yesterday and we both really enjoyed it. it's the kind of movie that my dad would groan and yell "chick flick" and crap like that about, and then sit riveted by it and even start weeping once in a while when no one's looking. i enjoyed the main actress, a lovely young british girl who has a face you never get tired of staring at. my friend read the book and said they did a truthful job with the film. it's not really something i would see again, but i was glad to watch it.
one being fight club, the other bend it like beckham. i really did enjoy fight club a lot (amazingly, i had not seen it yet), but it didn't live up to all the hype (in my worthless opinion). parts of it seemed to drag. but, it was awesome nonetheless. i had a rent one, get one free at blusterblock and forgot to give the guy the coupon until after he'd rung it up. then i pulled the coupon out and he refused to use it, saying a refund would have been too difficult. i was pissed but hernando, who worked at blockbuster years ago, said refunds there really are complicated, so i let it go. i wouldn't have minded the refusal but the guy was hoss about it. so, suffice to say, i was happy to see blusterblock getting tampered with by the fight club when we watched the movie.bend it like beckham was not an amazing movie, but very cute. it was sort of like the inidian version of real women have curves. the romantic storyline was a bit too unrealistic to me--it seemed sort of unfounded--but overrall a good movie and an interesting look at east indian culture.
but am not getting into it since so many people here did. I saw School of Rock over the weekend, it was like an hour and a half of Tenacious D, it was pretty funny. I'd recommend it, defenitely worth renting, Jack Black is too funny.
I rented Bend it like Beckham and Nicholas Nicholby. I enjoyed both immensely. Nothing like a good Dickens story every once in a while-- all the good people get rewarded, all the bad people get their just desserts, and you can tell the ones from the others by their names and visages. And, yeah, Heidi, I know what you mean about the rom. line in Beckham being a bit stretched, but, sap that I am, I wanted the stretch...
Saw Spirited Away yesterday... Someone tell me what they found so amazing about it. I could use the help, I guess. I really did like the main character and especially appreciated how the animators did little truthful things like having the little girl have to take several steps to everyone of her parents, but what about the plot did everyone love so much?
I loved the creativity in the design of the characters and the unpredictable plot. I never knew what was going to happen next, but it wasn't disjointed (like some David Lynch plots). You can make a creature weird for the sake of strangeness and you can make a plot senseless for the sake of surprise, but to make the strangeness and unpredictability work in a linear storyline is very impressive I think. I don't remember seeing anything quite like it before.
i didn't think jack black could possibly be funny for an entire movie. but I was wrong. The movie is hilarious. The kids are great and joan cusack is perfect as the principle. and jack black's antics are very very funny. lots of fun
I have to say that I couldn't agree more with both Chester and Lukas. Spirited Away was my favorite movie of last year, it's just so innocent and simple a story, the animation is superb, and the characters are, especially for an animated movie, very well developed. THe whole thing starts out odd and you don't know what's going on, or where this girl is, but by the end you realize it's not so odd, and it just sort of makes sense. I also think it does a good job of showing the innocence of youth, and the greediness of many people. Basically I just liked it, and I find that many kids do to, I thought it was geared towards adults, but my 9 year-old sister-in-law loved it.
Anna and I had never seen this movie, believe it or not. It's really funny, and Adam Sandler doesn't play his usual obnoxious, over the top character. Also, the rest of the cast is awesome, including Jon Lovitz as the "evil" Wedding Singer. I'm also not super crazy about Drew Barrymore, but she was definitely cute.
"See, Billy Idol gets it."
pretty cool
is anybody here thinking of joining that celebration?
I'm totally down for that! I have been wanting to do that, unfortunately they won't be showing the extended version of the REturn of the King because it won't be out yet, but that can wait til they are all on video. Wags you wanna go? let's try to get a group together, but I am guessing we should try to get the tickets ASAP tomorrow or there won't be any left. I'll try to remember to call Wiberg to see if he wants to go. A pillow will be needed, to sit on so your butt doesn't hurt! Luckily the AMC chairs are pretty comfortable.
if you're gonna go, then i'm down. however, i will have to pay you back for the ticket if you order them.
they are showing trilogy tuesday at the uptown theater here in DC. It's a big old theater that was renovated and has amazing sight and sound. I also noticed that they are showing the extended versions of the first two movies in separate engagements prior to that tuesday.
I am not sure if I'll be able to get that day off of work, that's during a big training period here at work and if I have a training class that day I can't even call in sick, and I don't know my schedule yet so I don't want to risk it. However, when the third movie comes out on extended edition DVD I WILL be having a marathon in my living room, but no drinking until the last movie so we aren't plowed before they end. Sorry Wags.
Tuesday? I probably can't do it. As much as I'd like to, I have to save vacation days for wedding/recording stuff. SOrry.
chester and the others who commented on this movie intrigued me with their reviews, so we rented it this weekend. i loved what i saw of it, but fell asleep partway through. i was just exhausted. but i will definitely rent it to finish it. hernando liked it a lot and said it's worth buying. the animation and characterization was really well done. the movie has a surreal, allegorical feel to it, which was neat.we also rented the italian job. it was okay, i guess. i think i've seen too many heist-like movies lately and they're all starting to run together. or maybe i was too busy cramming pizza down my throat like a ravenous dingo, ala jemima j, to pay attention to the flick. we found this place next door to hernando's work that has quite possibly the best pizza i've ever had in my life. marco's on college. if you're ever in milwaukee, go there.
I really like Le Cercle Rouge and have two other french films on my list of movies-to-see: Rififi and Bob le Flambeur (which was remade as Ocean's 11). I also enjoyed Heist even though it's got flaws because Gene Hackman puts on a great performance. The Asphalt Jungle is a classic that was imitated by Reservoir Dogs and I guess it's kind of the grandfather of the genre. I hesitate to include The Sting and The Thomas Crown Affair. The first because the main heist is straight-up con and the second because the second "heist" is so blatantly impossible that it drives me CRAZY. I would also include Bottle Rocket becuase it's such a great movie and the heist scenes are so comical.
I'm definitely using that phrase, with your permission of course. At first it sounds like you're insulting yourself, like "ravenous dingus" or something, but then it's clear that you're just comparing yourself to a amusingly-named wild dog relative.
But in this case, since you ARE the Diner ringleader, I will share world rights with you.
I saw it on saturday night. It's so perfectly over-the-top Tarantino. I really liked it. I was cracking up the whole movie. I hope you guys appreciate it too.
that inspired the computer room sequence in Mission: Impossible is "topkapi" with Peter Ustinov
was raving about Kill Bill yesterday, he said he's already seen it twice and loved it, but then Gene loves Hong Kong action movies so it's right down his alley. I can't wait to see it, that and Intolerable Cruelty.
Anthony sez, "These are screen captures from a sneak peek ABC did for Pixar's upcoming film, 'The Incredibles.' Looks absolutely amazing. The character design and direction is wonderfully done by Brad Bird, who did much-loved film, 'The Iron Giant.'" Page 1, Page 2The shots are a bit fuzzy, but they look really neat so far. There are teaser trailers at pixar's website but I can't view them at work.
Brad Bird is a genius. I think that some point in the future, Bill Watterson should collaborate with Pixar on a Calvin and Hobbes movie.
He'd probably never do that. He never licensed C&H merchandise... any Calvin and Hobbes merchandise you see out there is pirate booty.Watterson Interviews.
those rip-off calvin peeing on stuff stickers always make me mad. Every once and a while I pull out my calvin & hobbes collections and read through them. He was a truly great cartoonist. But yeah, I don't think he would ever do a movie with the characters. I wonder he's doing these days. I suppose he made enough off royalties from book sales to retire early. Or maybe he's been working on an epic graphic novel of cerebus proportions featuring calvin and hobbes.
the apple site and the official movie site have larger versions of teh trailer it seems and the yahoo movies site has a windows media and a real player version of the trailer.
I can't remember what it was, maybe school of Rock or something, but it looked really funny.
The new Return of the King trailer actually made me cry.
I was reading though the Theology Fried Rice entree and saw our past ramblings on Luther, and remembered that I went and saw the movie Luther, it was very good. I recommend it to anyone of a theological mind, or anyone who isn't. It did a good job of grabbing the feelings of the time and making you made at the Catholic Church, but then the Catholic Church back then wasn't the best of organizations.
baggins, oldpossumus and i just went to see school of rock. we were meeting baggins at the theatre, but he had a much further way to travel than we did, so after erik and i bought tickets, i went in because i don't like missing the previews and he had already seen it.i get into the theatre and the movie has already started, so i just figured we were a bit later than we thought and thought that what was playing was the teaser before the opening credits. well, the dudes never showed, but at one point, i thought i heard jeremy laugh so i stayed in the theatre till the end of the movie.
after it was over, they weren't there. me=totally perplexed. i start walking around the lobby looking for them and then go out to the car to see if they left me there [hey, you never know]. they didn't.
after a while i sit down outside the theatre and a minute later erik walks outside and is like, where have you been? we discover that the ticket guy sold him tickets for the 3:45 show which played in theatre 2 and sold me a ticket for the 2:45 show which played in theatre 26. so i had watched the last hour of the movie. and when we went back into the theatre, the ticket guy asked if we just wanted to see the 5:15 show instead [obviously not a cubs fan]. he didn't even refund my ticket and i had to watch the second half of the movie TWICE.
i'm just glad the second half was funny enough to see twice. and i was finally in good company.
that guy was an idiot. i was crying the whole time you were gone.
I saw this today. It was okay. it was rather predictable, from my POV. but still decent.
was dissapointing to me.
Hiy.
Kill Bill was ultra The Bomb-ish. A lot more violent and uncomfortable than i thought it would be, but funner than fun
for heist movies, Ill always be impartial to sneakers, because when i went to see it when i was 13ish, it blew my young mind away. Back then, _Sneakers_, _The Player_, and _12 Angry Men_ were the world to me.
and UHF of course. UHF was the universe to me
i finally saw this movie the other night.it's wonderful. the movement of the film was beautiful. it was much more than i was expecting, storywise. what a rich film. pedro almodovar is rad.
during filming of mel gibson's "the passion of christ"......so should that be reaffirming... or scary?
they were unharmed.
If I were playing Jesus and was struck by lightning yet unhurt, I might take it as a warning and quit...
take it as affirmation and continue?
Affirmations tend not to be so potentially, um, deadly, I would think.
jen, oldpossums, and i went to see it on friday. it was really good. 3 and 1/2 stars. the acting was amazing!
Of course, whenever people talk about doing things to send messages, I keep remembering what Randy Waterhouse said after being thrown in prison to send him a message. I don't remember the exact phrasing, but it was something like: "Haven't these people heard of e-mail?" I think there was something about being thrown in prison being a very imprecise method of transmitting information, too.I wish I had my copy of Cryptonomicon around here.
"Why does everyone here have these incredibly cumbersome ways of sending me messages? Don't you people have e-mail?"
one of the best movies I've seen in a long time... definitely worth seeing. gives you lots to talk about.
my g/f's best friend is now student teaching at von. Her mentor-type-person is Ms. O'Keefe, and I am taking advantage of this by getting a copy of Ubu World or Ubu Planet or whatever it was called. Once gotten, a screening will be in order.
Levity was really good. jen and i watched it today. really worth renting.
Today I showed clips from Bram Stoker's Dracula, Dracula 200, Interview with a Vampire, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie). We're doing a short unit on slavic mythology in my mythology class, paying special homage to the vampire myths in honor of Halloween... Anyway, I feel kind of dark and dirty and tainted now, like I've possibly spoiled/polluted young minds. I mean, the darkness of those movies (buffy excluded) depress me.... I'm not sure it was the best curricular choice. But, some of the kids seemed to dig it. I don't know what I mean.
Any movie with Tom Waits screaming in Romanian is worth multiple watchings. I need to rent that again.I just saw identity.. also good, I'd rent it again. As for Pushing Tin, resist.. not that good.
two goblets up!
funny ass movie! i want to see it again with rv. it was alot of fun. totally worth seeing, even if you not a rock star.
...we will live off each others' rock."From CNN: Tenacious D: We'll starve for rock
NEW YORK (Billboard) --With tongue planted firmly in cheek, the members of Tenacious D announced Monday that they would begin a 45-day hunger strike at 5 p.m.
In a satirical move to promote the DVD "The Complete Masterworks," due Tuesday via Epic, members Jack Black and Kyle Gass said they will climb into a seven-foot by three-foot by seven-foot glass box 50 yards above Times Square at the intersection of 45th Street and Broadway, where they will remain for the length of the strike.
The intersection is the location of MTV studios, where they were to appear on Monday's episode of "Total Request Live."
Actor/singer/guitarist Black said the strike would end early on one of three conditions: if "The Complete Masterworks" goes platinum, if "hunger is solved" or if there is peace in Middle East.
The duo made the announcement dressed in silver and white superhero costumes, with the letter "D" covering their barrel-shaped chests, white gloves on their hands and white capes tied around their necks. In addition to water and one red cell phone, Black quipped that they would bring one guitar into the glass box with them. "If we need extra nourishment, we will live off each others' rock."
When the pair was asked the longest duration either had gone without sustenance, Gass replied that one time he had gone eight hours between meals. Black said that once he slept for 12 hours, effectively spending 13 hours in-between meals. "It's gonna test our will, but I feel confident we're gonna make it," said Gass.
After the hunger strike, Black said the group will continue working on the long-awaited Tenacious D movie, "Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny."
"The Complete Masterworks" was scheduled to be previewed for fans Monday night at San Francisco's Sony Metreon Action Theater, and at Alamo Draft House locations in Houston and Austin, Texas, free to the public on a first-come-first-served basis.
and I just love that quote, I personally have never lived off someone elses rock, but I think it just might work.
From MTV News: NEW YORK -- They were supposed to remain suspended in a glass cage above Times Square for 45 days. Tenacious D didn't even make it 45 minutes.A mere 23 minutes after being hoisted in the air to begin what they claimed would be an extended hunger strike, Jack Black freaked out and Kyle Gass pulled handfuls of hidden M&Ms from his costume, plunging them frantically into his mouth. The goofball rockers were lowered to the ground and carted away in an ambulance.
Like marathon runners, Tenacious D made preparations to deal with the ordeal. "I had five McSurf and Turf deluxe cheeseburgers earlier today," Black said. "Also, I took a multivitamin. It was a large, horse-pill-sized super-multi."
At the press conference, Black bristled at the idea that the D had copied David Blaine. "I want to make one thing clear," he said with a straight face. "We are not out on some bullsh-- thing where you go up for 44 days and 44 nights. We're going for a full 45 days and 45 nights, and not only that, but I have evidence that David Blaine had liquid cheeseburgers pumped into his box through a tube. We will not have a tube."
saw this yesterday. It was wonderful. Very fun. But, I didn't expect the beginning to be so sad.
I was not at all ready to see the poor fish die right off the bat like that, but I do think it gave you an immediate tie to both Nemo and his dad, sad, but effective.
watched it tonight, LOVED IT!!! i'm just confused about when it came out and the rush of clown fish at pet stores. doesn't that go against the movie?
A fish dies in the beginning? Do y'all think it would distrub a 2 year old?
Terrible. Terrible terrible terrible. If you disliked Reloaded, you'll hate hate hate Revolutions. Hate. It plays out as though written by a sixteen year old who eavesdropped on a group of college freshmen reading aloud from a philosophy 101 syllabus. It's more crap that you can shake your finger at. Cohesion? Forget about it. Plot integrity? No way. Character developement? Of course not. Big budget B-movie? You bet.
Watched this for the first time last night. It was a very powerful film. I'm still digesting it all but the one thing that surprised me was how articulate marilyn manson was. It's a fascinating movie that at least begins to take a look at America's obsession with guns/violence/fear/etc. This was first experience with Moore and I think he made a fine film. What I had heard about the film is that it concluded that if we take the guns away we would be in this wonderful utopia. But I don't think it made that conclusion at all. I guess I saw it more an indictment of a culture of fear. Wether or not said culture exists, or if it excacerbates the rampant gun violence in the US, I don't know. Anyway, it's a fascinating film and if you haven't seen, I think you should.[There was a big MM discussion months ago, on the Oscar Special maybe. Since then he responded to some of the critiques of his movie where he does cite some sources and such, if you are interested.]
I think it will make her sad at first, but from then on out it is totally funny and exciting. 2 might be a bit young, but if she has seen Bambi or something it should be fine. But then every kid is different right? Besides I bet by the 45th time watching it she will be used to it. :) I love how kids can watch a movie, rewind it, and sit and watch it again, I think it has something to do with the joy of having the whole thing memorized and knowing what will come next. Basically go with your mother's intuition on whether it would bother her.
So my sister didn't want to see Finding Nemo. She said, in all of her 14-year-old superiority glory, that it sounded "gay." (I yell at her everytime she uses this word, which is often... She uses it more when she wants to aggrivate me, which is often...) But, the other night when I watched it, she came in for the end and was laughing. Then, yesterday she watched it three times... I love when she lets her defenses down and acts like a little kid. It gives me the warm fuzzies.
I don't want to give anything away, but I laughed throughout the entire movie (especially the death scene- if you've seen it, you know what I mean). And since it wasn't a comedy, I am surprised that the late-night, long-black-coat-wearing crowd didn't run me out of Dodge.
even the die hards realized it sucked.
Finding Nemo was the first movie that we took our son to at the theater. He was probably about 26 months or so at the time. He loved it. We just bought the DVD this past week, and he still has no idea what the heck happened during the death scene. Doesnt register. At the theaters, where the screen and sound are quite overwhelming, it could be scary/sad, but on the small screen, kids younger than 3 will probably have no idea what to feel. I would think that it would be somewhat different if it were bambi or old yeller or something like that, because the sight of a gun and gunshot would create a firm cause\effect connection. Also, since the "scary" scene is at the beginning, there's no emorions tied to the characters yet, and the child's probably not going to be engrossed enough yet to really catch it.
I'll let her watch it.We just tried to watch Prince of Egypt together (GREAT movie). In the first song, they show the egyptians going into the Jew's homes with swords to kill the babies (they don't show the babies being hurt, though we all know what happened) . When that happened, Anna started SCREAMING at the screen, "OH NO MOMMY! THE BABIES!"
So I turned it off. Too intense for her I think. Too bad, it's a good movie and a good biblical story too.
Elf was hilarious. i recommend it.
I know no one is going to back me up here, and that's okay. I saw 8 Mile this weekend & loved it. I happen to think Eminem is a genius, which I realize is not a commonly held opinion. I thought it was a very entertaining slife of life drama. Hernando claims he hated it, hates Eminem, etc., yadda yadda, but I don't believe it.We also rented The Hulk, which was well-done if not my cup of Marvel.
i'm not sure how to describe this film. it was bizzare, and I liked it.
I totally like 8 Mile, and I thought that the last rap the Eminem did at the end of the movie was fricken hysterical. I watched Legally Blonde 2:Red, White and Blonde this weekend, surprisingly I didn't hate it, it was really really goofy, and that sort of saved it, there was no attempt at seriousness at all and it went way over the top on everything, and somehow that made it not quite as bad. It was almost as if by being so ridiculous it made enough fun of itself that I didn't have to. But if I was single there would be no way anyone other than a cute girl would get me to watch it, as it is I am married and stood no chance whatsoever.
Hilarious movie. I chuckled through the whole thing and laughed out loud several times. Funny funny.
cried.
BigJ, um, yeah--we too rented Legally Blonde II this weekend, out of sheer desperation for lack of choices. I didn't mention it in my last post because it was absolutely, completely unwatchable (in my book). I was spared by falling asleep about 45 minutes into it, but Hernando amazingly made it through the whole thing. When I asked him to summarize the rest of the movie for me he said, "Well, there were some people talking, and then some other people talking, blahbity blah blah, and that was it." So there you are. The whole movie in that sentence, so now no one will ever have to suffer through it again.And yes, the last rap in 8 Mile was one of the funniest things I've ever heard. "Yeah, I do live in a trailer with my mom/and my friend is an Uncle Tom..." Damn. I had tears in my eyes. And I would like to see "Radio." Maybe next weekend.
that I never said it was good, or even worth watching for cute whats-her-name, but that it was so ridiculous I didn't feel the need to make fun of it, I should have said avoid it at all costs, even limbs and eyes.
i perfectly understood J, i just had to reiterate how very awful i thought it was. not enough can be said in way of how ridiculous this film is.
I liked the first Legally Blonde, and I'm not ashamed to admit it... But, after all this bad press, I am now confused about viewing the second movie... yes? or no? yes? or no? pesky meaningless decisions...
do NOT see it. the first one was decent, "cute" if you will. but this one...just, no.
and that way you won't need to go see Legally Blonde 3: Revenge of the Blonde
The Phantom Blond was alright, but Attack of the Blondes was ridiculous.
wasn't bad. not as good as T2 but, way better than i had thought from the previews. it's funny to listen to the comentary and extra stuff on the dvd and listen to how much the govenator talks about how sexy the female lead is. he totally is a pervert but, makes great action movies.
I really want to see this, if only because I like the music in the trailer. Of course, that's also why I wanted to see Lost in Translation.I also just looked at the IMDB page and saw it was a Charlie Kaufman movie so now I want to see it even more.
different, but good.
Great flick.
Just say 28 Days Later tonight. I'm generally not one for scary movies, but at least this one was well-done. The few times I did close my eyes, it was actually during the lead-up to the attacks, since I knew what was going to happen and I couldn't stand the suspense.Of course, there were far fewer attacks than I expected, but I don't see that as a bad thing.
interesting film. I really like the way it folds over itself like the ouroboros. Douglas Hofstatder wrote: "What you are now reading, I am now writing." Which sort of describes the neat parades that Adaptation got into a little bit. While I liked that aspect of the film, I felt it was overdone, like the kind of film that film students will love to pore over and pick at.
So they had GATTACA on the television last night, and I have to say that Vincent's birth reminded me of Mr. Glass's birth in Unbreakable, although they seemed to have opposite approaches to their situations.
i was bored on friday, so i actually watched most of 'Dude, Where's My Car?' on tv.
saw this one last night with the roomies. if you're looking for a light and obviously romantic comedy, this is a sure bet. it probably would have been really sappy if it were an american film, but the english pulled it off pretty well. liam neeson was excellent and the kid who played his stepson was great. there's a great scene with cue cards, but i won't give anything away.
saturday afternoon we went to the SWEA bazaar and then i went with my dad and hsi wife to see the french documentary To Be and To Have (Etre et Avoir). I wasn't sure to expect from a doumentary about a one-room school house in the franch countryside but it turned out to be a great film. I could describe it, but when I try to it just sounds boring so you'll just have to watch it for yourself. It was at VisionsDC, so check your local indy film house.
pretty funny, but highly stupid, sometimes that's what you need though, good dumb comedy.
yeah, dumb, but really funny. there are some great moments in that movie. 'hello this is buddy the elf. what's your favorite color?' is one of my favorite lines in that movie.
vomit.
but I also read something today saying how kick ass the REturn of the King is! I think it will end up being the best trilogy ever done on film.
It was pretty bad. No plot, no character development, worst ending EVER. And they way they hit you over the head with the religious symbolism was annoying. I think if the ending had not been so horrible, it might have been a fun action flick to cap the trilogy. Even with a good ending, however, it still would have lacked any sort of plot/character development (not that 1 & 2 did, but they had enough). Karna and I were talking about how unmemorable number 3 was. After the first one we would takl about it and we ended taking other people to see it at least twice because we thought it was such a cool movie. Even the second film inspired lots of discussion and a second viewing on DVD. But the third one just didn't inspire anything other than a feeling of disgust at the 2.5 hours wasted.
Matrix revulsions.... I can say I liked how so many people died, however there was not enough. I also have this terrible feeling some may come back to life. I mean this movie made me feel better about watching the last Charlie's Angels...
i liked it. not the greatest movie ever but, really funny. i'll buy it when it comes out. good holiday movie.
I'm not a huge W1ll F3rrell fan; neither is alh.
...but I laughed myself out of my seat at "Elf."My favorite scene? He's in a doctor's office and starts popping cotton balls into his mouth like they're marshmellows. Oh man! Good stuff.
I can't wait to see "Bad Santa" this weekend. I think I may be one of about two people in the world -- Angelina Jolie being the other -- who will fess up to finding Billy Bob sexy.
on the Billy Bob thingBut Bad Santa looks funny, it's one of those that's either really funny or really bad, but it looks to be on the funny side.
Two weekends ago I went with my folks to see Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. And I really liked it. I liked the scope of the story, the character development, the sense of history, etc. Crowe and the other guy whose name I don't remember had terrific characters. Plus, Billy Boyd is in it. You should all see it, and I'd recommend the big screen for the cinematography.
My little sister saw Matrix Revolutions last night (on a date). She hadn't seen the first one and she fell asleep in the second. Her review, "It was stupid." From the mouths of babes....
I echo smax' sentiment about Matrix^3.
i have never considered myself a fan of Will Farrell. however, Elf is quite hilarious. you really should see it. I think that both of you will enjoy it. but do what you like...
in regards to bbt's sexiness.
Were you worried that we might latch on to the "I can say I liked how so many people died, however there was not enough. I also have this terrible feeling some may come back to life." part of the post? Then we would all realise that you have a secret longing for BBT to kill many people and then reanimate them...Now we need smax to go back and edit that earlier post to say just how much they lurrrrv Matrix 3....
Your other guy is Paul Bettany, who was in--RIPOFF! (sorry, FOTR bitterness of the best picture nature there) A Beautiful Mind with Crowe.I have yet been unable to convince someone to take in the latest Crowe saga with me. Perhaps it's for fear that I will then run away to sea . .
We went down to ballston with my sis to see a movie entitled simply, The Gospel of John. Basically it's a live-action version of the fourth gospel. There is a narrator who reads the gospel and actors play the various parts. It's almost three hours long and it's a little disjointed just because of the way the gospel was written, but it's a great film. It's not playing very many places but it should still be in select theaters across the country.
I stand by my previous M3 comments.Billy Bob and A.J. were probably the only redeeming part of Pushing Tin.
I'm just glad movie season (rainy fall inbetween climbing and skiing) is now over. Although I do really want to watch ski movies now.
Just saw Bad Santa this past weekend, and it's pretty darned funny
Also just rented _The Last Waltz_ on DVD and watched it yesterday. Very good concert film. The Band seemed to be a great live band. Good guest singing too by a bunch of artists.
actually, I saw it over the weekend and was not very impressed at all. Outside of a scene or 2, I didn't think it was that funny. It was the kind of humor that bothers me. I can only take so much swearing at little kids and seeing people get kicked it the balls. If you like that kind of thing (repeatedly), then this is a good movie for you.
it was very funny. Much funnier than I thought it was going to be. And some quality adult humor to make it worth while.
we watched this last night as a two hour break for karna before starting her final paper of the week. It was an okay movie and the only real reason to watch it was johnny depp. The story was a little shaky and both orlnado bloom and keira knightly were so-so. But Depp made up for both of them.
best workout video ever
and it was mostly due to Johnny Depp, I thought he was fricken hysterical, and to hear he is playing Willy Wonka in the remake of that makes me think it will be good.
For a Disney/Bruckheimer film, it was lots of fun. It's no X*, but then, what is?Honestly, I think that so much of how we see movies like that depends on how old we are or how open we are to them when we go into it. A lot of those movies "stand up" over time because we have always overlooked their flaws.
* where X = [ whatever worthy action/adventure film example you choose ]
I mean the Star Wars movies aren't all that great, but if you saw them as a kid they are incredible, becuase so much of what they are are the memories attached to them, and the feeling of seeing them for the first time when movies were 'real'. No two people feel the same way about the same movie (ok that might be stretching it a bit but you know what I mean). There have been times when I went into a movie thinking I wouldn't like it and ended up enjoying it, case in point Chicago, which I just bought on DVD, I thought I'd hate it, but it really won me over (which upset the wife because she was taking me to see it to get back at me for taking her to 3 action movies in a row), conversely I thought I was going to like Moulin Rouge after everyone gave it such high marks, and I ended up hating it to the depths of my soul. However, for the most part I agree with Pedro that it's how you go into a movie that effects your outcome.
i thought it was fantastic.
And said we wanted to see it, but that we heard bad reviews and were a little worried.
peter, jose, and i saw it and were all smitten. it is the best new movie i've seen in a long time, one of my favorites this year. it is completely original and whimsical and makes your heart ache and makes you feel about things in your own life, your family, etc. it is a great film, full of humour and love. i can't wait to see it again.
it makes you think about things, not feel about things, oops. anyway, i thought they did a wonderful job/a movie to get excited about.
I think pedro has a great point about "standing the test of time." Having said that, I think (after seeing ROTK today), that Lord of the Rings will be considered the greatest TRILOGY ever. By that I refer you to: Return of the Jedi, Godfather III, Temple of Doom, Alien 3 and 4, Die Hard 2, etc. As a trilogy, LOTR will be almost impossible to beat for years.
saw "Stuck on You".SUCKED.
I saw Cheaper by the dozen over the weekend, it was actually pretty darn funny, and made me sort of want to have a lot of kids, realizing it's a lot of hard work, but a lot of love and support too. And Steve Martin is the funniest I've seen him in a movie in a while.
lost in translation. i was kind of skeptical of it. everyone had been raving about it. i didn't much care for 'the virgin suicides.' so i went in sort of expecting to dislike it or hold some level of disdain for it. it was fabulous.tokyo was the perfect setting for a movie about being surrounded by people but completely alone. the city itself seemed to take on its own character. the whole movie was sort of assymetrical and i really appreciated that. and i think they really understood and brought out the insomnia and overburdened feel of today's popculture.
it was just fucking great.
if you're a 'movies should all have strong plots' kind of person, this one may not be for you. in some cases that can really work against a film, but it suited this one just fine.
I think my mouth was slightly ajar throughout the entire movie. There was something beautiful & quiet about it. I was so glad that Bill Murray didn't over-play it like he could have.
watch it only if it's free. It's not worth more than that.ROTK. Eh' it was ok.
Bruce almighty. I know it's supposed to be dumb, but they exceeded dumb. However it was really funny.
I saw Peter Pan twice... maybe I am still eleven years old and just living the life of a twenty-six-year-old (whatever that means)....
The best movie I've seen in a long time, not counting RoTK. Alh and I were really blown away by it too.
I've wanted to see that for a while. alas, I don't know when I will be able to see it. but these positive reviews are good.
IN AMERICA- Don't miss this beautiful movie. It's nearly perfect. BIG FISH- A moving fable about a son's journey to acceptance of his father. REQUIEM FOR A DREAM- Yup, I finally got the nerve to watch it. Best anti-drug movie I've ever seen. LEGEND (Director's cut)- This was interesting to compare with the theatrical release with the Tangerine Dream soundtrack. COLD MOUNTAIN- I would have thought this was better if it wasn't tainted by my seeing In America and Big Fish. But it's still pretty good. And Jack White is in it.
Roger Ebert is going off about "Monster" a new movie documenting the life of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. You won't believe the the comments he's making. Quite lofty. It's playing at the Landmark Century and the Esquire 6, so if any of you happen catch it...post a review for us.
That is a glowing review by Ebert. I decided to check out the notoriously grouchy Chicago Reader critic as well and here's his review: Monster- Capsule by Jonathan Rosenbaum- From the Chicago Reader- Rarely does a lead actor dominate a film as Charlize Theron does this first feature by writer-director Patty Jenkins, playing Florida prostitute and serial killer Aileen Wuornos (already the subject of two separate Nick Broomfield documentaries). Theron's performance is impressive not only for her physical transformation and willingness to be unattractive, but also for her determination to convey the character's profound emotional confusion and relative incoherence without making them part of any nudging thesis. Jenkins deserves credit as well for steering the film away from all the usual comforting exploitation standbys--honest curiosity and observation are what make this work, and in this respect Christina Ricci (as Wuornos's lover, Selby Wall) is almost as good as Theron. With Bruce Dern. 111 min.
peter mayhew
BIG FISH SPOILER:I saw it last night. I thought it was cute and whimsical until the end, when the father was in the hospital. It was too close to home, as AC's dad passed away over the summer in an almost identical environment (same equipment, same positioning), and the actor looked remarkably like him. From the time the mother went in until the end, I was crying like a little bitch. Luckily Jeff had thought ahead & grabbed a wad of napkins for that very purpose. I think he needed one too.
i also really liked big fish. i'm not sure who i was talking too but, they were upset that it wasn't as wierd as other burton films. but, i think that most of the other burton films don't have as good of a plot and so he wierds them out to make them better and big fish had a great plot so he didn't need to burton-ize it as much.
can't wait for charlie and the chocolate factory.
i'm a sooper excited for this one. then i hope everyone goes gonzo for roald dahl and they make a series fo short films based on shorter stories like fantastic mr. fox, the story of henry sugar, the twits, the bfg, etc. talk about reliving my childhood!
heir to an execution
Jackie and I were both crying by the end of Big Fish. It was really good. I thought it had just the right amount of Burton's touch on it. I was surprised at the ending a little bit. I wasn't expecting it so soon.i would also LOVE to see The BFG on screen, Lukas. Dahl is a really great, exciting storyteller.
Roald Dahl...he didn't only write children's stories. Wink, wink.
they could also do some shorts of dahl horror stories. my favorite is one where a woman kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb and then serves it up as dinner to the detectives.
Isn't that the gun from Quake?
Pedro, I read that title as "Sweet Bitch." Which amused me far more than "Switch Bitch."
That one is AWESOME. 'I'm sure the evidence is right under my nose...' Amazing.
cool hand luke. i finally saw this one. really good. god, paul newman is great.
I really wanted to hate this movie but didn't.
Ditto, BLVD... but I laughed body parts off. Same for Kung Pow... The funniest movie I've seen in a while
Kung Pow didn't, but then you can't win em all can you? Speaking of comedies we rented Once Apon a TIme in Mexico, one of the worst action movies I've ever seen, but it did make me laugh pretty hard at times, don't know if it was supposed to, but it did.
i liked it. philip semour hoffman and hank azaria we really funny. ben stiller was funny as usual and jennifer aniston was cute of course. it was good. i could see how people might not like it or not want to see it in theaters but, it would be a for sure to rent.
i meant to tell you that if you can't stand jim carrey, you should give "man on the moon" a try. i'm generally not a fan either, but i thought he was great in that movie.and everyone i've spoken to, absolutely everyone, has told me "once upon a time in mexico" is awful. i'm sure a certain actress being it in did not help matters. poor johnny.
i thought once upon a time in mexico was hot. definitely not in the best picture category or anything of refined tastes, but i enjoyed every minute of it, actually. i'm not usually a huge fan of action movies so maybe i liked it because it wasn't a good or typical action flick.
i really will stop my celebrity bashing. it's not nice, but i heard that movie was a real bomb. maybe i should just watch it out of curiosity--and 'cause jonny depp is in it, he's one of my favorites.
Jackie and I saw this movie tonight. We both expected to like it, but we were both surprised at how much more we liked it than we had expected. Jack Nicholson is flawless and perfect and wonderful and even charming at points, and Diane Keaton really shines. I believe I cried at one point.we were the only people in the theater, which is always cool. we got to talk a bit about the movie while we were watching it, that's always nice.
I definitely recommend this movie.
Kung Pow is incredible. Incredible!. "That's alot of nuts!" will make me laugh just thinking about it.
I still have not seen OUATIM, and Im not sure if i want to. I jumped on the El Mariachi bandwagon when that first came out, and even found Desperado to have its own redeeming qualities, but the third of the trilogy looks way too souped up for me.
The Warriors is playing at midnight at the music box this saturday and next friday and saturday. Juice and I found this out pretty late last night and jumped on it. The Warriors is The Gold.
I'd be interested in that next Saturday, perhaps...
I first saw that one at free film night at university. Didn't hear some the dialogue as I was stuck beside the projector. Clicketty-Clicketty-Click.
I just watched it tonight. thanks BigJ for letting me borrow it.I liked it. I thought Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansen were perfect in their roles. The city was perfect. the scenes and their odd timing and everything was great. I liked how they conveyed the sense of being totally surrounded by such a foreign culture. especially just how over-westernized Japanese culture seems. how farsical and completely outrageous it seems, especially when you come from USA and are used to a certain level of it all, but in a more comfortable and ingrown way. then again, I've never been to Japan, so I can only guess that they got it right, in terms of realism regarding that culture.
I felt like I missed something, or something was missing, though. Maybe that's just me. Maybe that's how I was supposed to feel.
But I liked it nonetheless.
it was good, and the premise was nice, but it just felt like too much wallowing in depression to me, and that's not something I want to watch. We watches Seabiscuit on Friday night, it was really darn good. All that's left is to see Mystic River and then I can make an accurate judgement on which movie should be given Best Picture, but right now it's Return of the King in a landslide vote, in my head of course.
ROTK should win every best picture award - ever. retroactively.
jen and i went again today. jen spotted peter jacksons camio in it which was fun. good movie!
where is his cameo?
He's on one of the ships arriving on the southern shores of Gondor - but when they are talking about the impending arrival of ships (if memory serves, it is Gandalf? who speaks of this...), not on the actual arrival of the ships, obviously.
One- People need to go see In America. Right now. Two- I didn't know Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Carribean was modeled after Keith Richards. Makes sense though.
I haven't seen any movies in a coon's age. I am dying to see In America, Big Fish, Lost in Translation, and about fifty other things.
My sister said "Lost in Translation" sucked. Like, sucked so bad that she would have walked out of the movie theater if it hadn't have been a rental. (Those are her words, though she can be a bit dramatic at times--must run in the family). I was very surprised. She loves movies and generally has very good taste in them, despite her love of Star Trek. So I will have to see what I think for myself.
1. I'm kind of happy and slightly amused that Johnny Depp got the SAG award for Pirates of the Caribbean. (I have a theory that the "serious" voters split between Bill Murray & Sean Penn, letting JD slide ahead.) He did a great job & I really enjoyed the flick, but it was certainly a surprise.2. Lost In Translation made me feel hollow, empty & unfulfilled inside. I think that might have been the point.
I was anticipating Lost in Translation to be better than I decided it was... Like baggins, I felt it was missing something that I just couldn't put my finger on and, like warggle, found that it left a hollow aftertaste.
What it was missing was the "movie gloss" that makes it seem unreal. For me it made it seem more documentary-ish. Maybe that's not what you're feeling, but that's what I felt like. And in the end, I didn't feel hollow as much as I felt overwhelmed by all the questions and things that were left hanging -- not in a bad way, but in the sense that I found myself overwhelmed with questions for myself and about those characters. Still it is a strange movie, so I can understand that not everyone would like it as much as I did.
so I went to the Chicago Reader's reviews. It always amazes me how little they recommend. But, I always figure that if a movie gets a mediocre review instead of a scathing one from the Reader, It'll probably do fine for me.
I am very curious to see how it is. I am also going to be seeing Mystic River, Monster, and Cold Mountain this weekend. It's the last minute Oscar must see push, so little time, so many movies...
Ive got personal problems with alot of what the reader says about movies. Jonathan Rosenbaum rarely, rarely, rarely gives resounding approval to movies, and is very subjective. Of course, its a critic's job to be subjective, but jr goes over the top. ex. anything made by spielberg is crap. _anything_. He also often explains a new film's influences by mirroring its storyline/technique/mise en scene/ad nauseum to older films, but always says the older films did them much, much better, and that the newer director/writer is just a biter. He so obviously loves his directors and his film movements over anything else. Butthead intellectual elitist.
Thought I should point out some stellar rentals on my first time back. I will write more detailed stuff later.Lost in Translation - exceptional film, though bittersweet, it satisfied my dramatic expectations by leaving somewhat unfulfilled Wonderland - good film, and surprisingly good performances from Val Kilmer and Dylan McDermott Intolerable Cruelty - The Coens. Nuff said. American Splendor - Wow. Spellbound - Rent it. Trust me, just rent it. Buffalo Soldiers - a cross between MASH adn Three Kings. Dark comedy. Swimming Pool - Not at all what I thought it was going to be. Runaway Jury - a solid flick with a great cast.
Some decent stuff: Capturing the Friedmans - Solid documentary, though a little slow. Stevie - Another solid documentary, but verry tough (emotionally) to watch. Matchstick Men - Fun fluff. The Missing - Not bad for a remake of The Searchers Open Range - Better than I thought it would be, given it's got KC in it. Once Upon a Time in Mexico - It's Robert Rodriguez and Johnny Depp, come on.
Stuff to avoid: In the Cut - so bad Party Monster - I just couldn't get into it.
Anyway, I've got to go now, but I'll post again soon with more details.
so, who is planning on seeing The Passion of the Christ?I'm planning on it, sooner or later.
any thoughts at this point? there is sure a </i>lot</i> of controversy surrounding this film already. is it all hype that Gibson has cleverly allowed to sell his film? or is there any substance to the accusations being leveled at this film, mostly by people who probably haven't seen it yet?
I saw it last night, but I'm still trying to let it sink in before I make comments about it.I think there are a few main controversies, and they are tied together. One is the charge that it is anti-semitic, that is that Gibson intentionally tries to blame the Jews for Christ's death (a charge that the church held for years, and many in the world still believe) and/or that, even if Gibson didn't mean for it to explicitly be anti-semitic, it will inspire feelings of anti-semitism in people who see it. There are still places in the world where Jews are blamed for the crucifixion.
The other controversy is not quite as explicitly controversial, but is related, and that is Gibson's theology. He is a "Traditionalist Catholic," which rejects many of the reforms of Vatican II. The most obvious reform they pretty much all reject is saying the mass in the colloquial language -- they say their mass in Latin. (Which makes an interesting connection to the fact that his movie is in Aramaic and Latin.) However, there were other reforms, including a statement adopted where the Catholic church officially said that blame for the crucifixion should not be on the Jews -- that they should not be blamed for deicide.
Not all, or maybe even any -- I don't know -- Traditionalist Catholic groups (there are many splinter groups) reject that teaching -- but the possibility that Gibson does by association is part of what fuels the fire. His father, Hutton Gibson, is a very conservative member of one of those churches and has a lot of conspiracy theories that involve Jews, Masons, the current Catholic heirarchy, etc. Many people wonder how much of what Hutton has said publicly Mel believes tacitly. Of course, Mel has not gone on TV and denounced his own father, so we still don't know the answers to those questions, and probably won't unless Mel decides to speak openly about it.
Then we have the gospels. Any account based on the gospels is going to make the Jewish leadership look bad... but then, it also makes many Jews look very good, too. This goes back to the whole issue of -- is it anti-semitic? will it inspire anti-semitism, even if Gibson doesn't mean it to? Viewers of the film, while shocked at everyone's depravity (especially the Romans) will probably still feel like it was basically the Jewish temple leadership that wanted Christ dead... but, that's also how the gospels tell the story. So there's a quandry there. Is it Mel's movie? Is it his opinion? Should he or could he have changed the gospel accounts or made the Romans look more interested in crucifying Christ?
Here are two links -- one is a "famous" article about Gibson's church and politics that appeared in the NY Times, and the other is a review/article by a conservative Jewish flim critic addressing the anti-semitism charge and making some observations of his own.
I would be fascinated to read links and articles and opinions by others, especially perhaps from some of the Jewish members of the Diner, if they feel like weighing in.
One word of warning though -- I felt like I read too much about the movie ahead of time... I wish I had read less going into it.
My parents saw it last night & my mom shot me an email about it:"It was the most horrible thing I have ever seen -- graphic in every detail. BUT, I'm glad I went to see it. It gave new meaning to the magnitude of His sacrifice and a visual image that I will not soon forget. I would not recommend this film for kids. It was very hard for me to watch, too. I cried in the theater. I cried on the way home. I went straight to bed (at 8:45) without speaking. Dad and I talked about it this morning for a little while. I would recommend that you see it, but go with the knowledge that you will be shocked and stunned."
I don't think I want to see it. Nasty bloody things make me gag. I also am not thrilled about the idea of churches using it as recruiting propaganda.
I think this is an excellent business move for Gibson. I'm sure he'll make his entire $25 million back by the end of this weekend. And jeez, it'll be played on TV every Easter for the next 40 years. He's set for life. (Not that he wasn't before.)
that was a very well thought out review, and I have a completely new view on what some poeple are saying about this movie. That felt to me like a beacon in the darkness, some sanity to all this mindless anger. I am excited to see the movie on Friday, there are so many poeple saying both bad and good about it that I am eager to make a call for myself. I think though that my feelings thus far is that Gibson made the movie to show the suffering and pain of everyone involved in the historical time, and not to try and drive a wedge in between Jews and Christians.I will report more on Monday.
Is that from all the reviews I expected a "horror-movie level" gorefest -- one reviewer said that it was Gibson's foray into "splatter films" -- but I really did not think it was as gory as the reviews made it out to be. I mean, it's about scourging and crucifixion -- of course it's going to be gory... but I just expected something on a more ridiculous scale, and I don't think it was ridiculous.
Dick Staub on The Passion
That we've started to distinguish between forms of media violence. Especially in movies.This is a theory I'm working on as I go through watching movies . . .
There's a difference between the violence of films like the Passion, Black Hawk Down, and Saving Private Ryan (Group 1), Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, The Untouchables, (Group II), and the Lethal Weapon-Die Hard types (Group III).
I personally find films from the Group I--realistic, thought shots that have craft and weight and accuracy behind them--as the ones that resonate with me--and the ones that stir up the most ambivalence in me about recommending them.
I will not recommend BHD to anyone who struggles with the concept of battle. I will tell them to read the book first, and then pray hard before seeing it. . . .those are just some random thoughts. I note that films that I classify as Group I are all within the last ten years pretty much . . .
We went to the theater tonight to see Miracle--which I highly recommmend--and the aftermath of seeing audiences' come out of the showings of the Passion made me wonder if I shouldn't find the theater manager on duty and start establishing a pastoral care triage center out in the lobby, my wife and I together (and we were riding the emotional high of Miracle . . .)
god, i know i'm all late about this, but we stayed in last night to watch 'whalerider' and 'thirteen' both of which are pretty fantastic in very different ways. wow. whalerider was so damn good. that girl really actually deserves the oscar.and while i'm on the topic of oscar, i can't wait to watch tonight. i'm an awards show fiend, and the oscars are the creme de la creme, obviously. every year i turn into a diehard on oscar sunday no matter how many nominated movies i've seen. i love watching the red carpet/two hour preshow. i guess it's pretty indulgent of me, but i don't feel an ounce of guilt about it.
I'm excited about the Oscars too.J & I saw "50 First Dates" yesterday. It was silly and delightful.
RoTK gets 11 awards!
The woman who accepted the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film (or something like that, too tired this morning to recall properly) started with her speech for her first thanks, "That The Lord of the Rings was not eligible for this category". Heh. Seeing as it won every category it was nominated for!
it was funny just like "well, if the ROTK is up for it, it wins" was the rule for the night. I mean it was a great movie and all, but the songs from Cold Mountain were much better than "Into the West." Also, now I need to see the Triplets of Belleville, I wanted to see it before, but it's official now, I must. Saw the Passion, it was thoroughly amazing, it was interesting to sit in a movie theater and have a truly remarkable religious experience. Also saw Mystic River, an great movie, anyone who likes movies must see this one. Clint Eastwood has amazing directorial gifts.Happy to see the Lord of the Rings win best picture, although I've been saying for three years that it will happen, I knew they were waiting for the last one to give a nod to the whole endeavour and really give it Oscars galour.
I agree, Into The West I don't think was that spectacular.
Based on the performances last night, I think the Cold Mountain songs were better than "Into the West," but I can never find fault with someone who gives props to Annie Lennox.I'm very interested in the Triplets of Belleville, too. The old ladies remind me of Olive Oyl, who reminds me of my Mam-Mam. God rest her soul.
Annie Lennox is the shiznit, and I think that's actually why the song one, because she's the bomb.
It was absolutely amazing. It WAS difficult to watch. What Warggle's mom said is to the letter how we felt--shocked and stunned by the reality of it all.We (H. & I) left the theater and were both crying and didn't speak for a good hour or so (and then I got on the train back to Chicago, and sat there for another hour and a half in silence thinking about it). Pretty much everyone in the theater was crying.
Lt.'s words: "the aftermath of seeing audiences' come out of the showings of the Passion made me wonder if I shouldn't find the theater manager on duty and start establishing a pastoral care triage center out in the lobby." That sounds just about right. One woman, after it ended, was sitting in her chair screaming and hysterical. We couldn't make out what she was saying, but it was wild. The whole experience was very emotional and draining, but in a good way.
Anyway, I don't understand the whole criticism of the violence, graphic material, et. al. I think it was an excellent job of balancing the graphic nature of it, which I feel was necessary to convey the details of what occured, with the ultimate message: love. Christ's love and the need to love one another. I would not take my 7 year old brother to see this (I don't think anyone under 15 or 16 should be allowed to see it, though there were plenty of kids in the theater), but it really was incredible.
(SPOILER ALERT) I am hesitant to discuss whether or not the film was anti-Semitic. As a non-Jew (yet a JBA), I don't feel it was. It took place in a certain historical context, and if Christ had come from England one could claim the film was anti-English. As a note, the actual scourging/beatings and the brutality occurs at the hands of the Romans. I don't think it is anti-Semitic anymore than it is anti-Roman, anti-Judas, etc. (I wonder what Dex thinks on this, from what she's heard/read even if she hasn't seen the film)...?
it is anti-Semitic. It's historical (well, from the synoptic gospel point of view.) But I do think in certain uneducated oafs it may cause feelings of anti-Semitism, you know?Leaving the line "Let his blood be on us and on our children" is a line that he was going to cut out of the film, as it has been used for centuries to support acts of violence and terror against Jews. Of course, he DID wind up leaving it in, which makes some question Gibson's motives. I personally think it was childish to promise it would be gone and then stick it in at the last moment, but whatever he feels is best, it's ultimately Gibson's film, you know? They didn't subtitle it but as many Jews actually understand Aramaic, they still got it (most Christians, however, won't hear it in there, it not being a language that I think most Christians are familiar with).
Of course, many Rabbis are upset that the movie implies that Jews need salvation. Gibson's an old-style Catholic, even the pope has said that Jews can go to Heaven too now (thanks Pope).
I do know that Gibson HOPES people will use it to convert Jews and others. Which seems kind of weird to me but whatever flips his waffle.
From what's I've read - it's pretty accurate, with little things thrown in for dramatic effect (the dude on the cross with Jesus chastizing Caiaphas for example, and Jesus having eye contact with a hiding-out Judas, as well as using the Catholic Stations of the Cross which aren't in the Gospels at all, but are standard in the Catholic Catechism). But, well, I know lots of you are going to have a moving experience from this. From my viewpoint - it's Just A Movie we'll all be seeing on TBS every Easter from now until infinity. And I think there are lots of anti-Semitic movies out there, as well as movies that come down on other racial groups. So if some Orthodox Jews want to see it as anti-Semitic, they can. Krikies, you can read anti-Semitism into many many things, from my point of view. And I *do* think that uneducated folk might come off with a bad attitude towards Jews, but that's not the majority of people. The film, itself, I don't feel is anti-Semitic.
Boy. That was rambling. I do intend to watch the Passion someday. I am not going to watch it in the theaters though, I don't think.
I can see how ignorant people would definitely take that line and use it as fodder for Anti-Semitism. It was, in a sense, re-assigning all blame to someone "other" than Pilate and the fact that a bunch of Jewish officials were there doesn't help the matter. Unfortunately, the Catholic church and the Jewish people don't have the greatest history. I hope Mel didn't subconciously translate any of that into his film.
Well, I saw the film, and I was impressed by it. I was not floored by it. I was expecting AN EXPERIENCE, and instead I got a great film. Lord of the Rings, however, as an example, was AN EXPERIENCE. One thing that a film colleague of mine pointed out (which I agree with) is that, good or bad, GIbson had the guts to create a very personal piece of art, which regardless of your theological beliefs, you've got to give him props for.
My Rabbi addressed the Jewish perspective of this film in her weekly email to the congregation (yeah, we do get weekly emails). Her notes are really interesting, though I don't know if I completely agree with them all. If you're interested I'll email them to you - email me at jen at jaxcage dot com. They're her words and I don't want to repost them on a public forum without permission, but I know she wouldn't mind me sending them to interested parties as we were just discussing this.
I just experienced The Passion of the Christ.It's still sinking in. all I can really say on a BBS is 'WOW'.
Watched Ratcatcher the other night. It was pretty interesting. Set in Europe during a garbage strike. Here's a question though: do the readers on the diner find that foreign movies often have scenes showing people going to the bathroom? And if so, why is that? Ratcatcher (as well as several other British films I've seen) showed people peeing. And it's not just a European thing. A Korean movie I saw recently had it too. He's a peeing, she's a peeing, they're all a peeing :) Har har. Seriously though, why the bathroom scenes?
i've not noticed this phenomenon, chester, but it may be a difference in the overall structure of foreign films versus the american hollywood film. many foreign films strive for [or achieve without trying] a certain amount of day-to-day reality, grittiness that hollywood movies feel is wasteful of your on-screen minutes. hollywood believes that, no one really wants to come to a movie theatre to watch someone behave precisely as every normal human being behaves. they're partly right, i think. you don't want to see your big movie stars going to the bathroom, because you don't want to think that they do that sort of thing. but i think this is why foreign films are quite refreshing. you see characters doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways and are drawn in just the same.so, while a scene may be just as effective or more so if played out while the character is pissing, hollywood is more likely to put them in a shiny car, an fancy office foyer, a rose garden. unless you're ben stiller or mike myers. then your agent won't negotiate a contract unless it has at least three bathroom scenes written in.
I just saw it & loved it. I really enjoy it when you're watching a movie & you're unsure of how you want it to end. I was happy with it by the end credits though. Definitely timely.
seriously moving film. beautiful australian landscapes and the incredible determination to return home against all odds. what a dpressing story though. definitely not a cheery picture of human nature.
With senor Baggins, and the little lady, and her brother. It was good times had by all, even funny the second time. "Do It"
this one was at the top of my list after i knocked off return of the king and i finally saw it this weekend. it wasn't as good as i thought it was going to be, but i still enjoyed it. they rated it nc-17, but i believe that's mostly because there's a lot of full frontal, male and female.the three main characters are entirely watchable. they have a fascinating joyfulness about them that leaves you content to be interested in whatever they're doing. it also has a vibrancy of color that is off-set by a distinct non-colorfulness in some scenes. and the music is great. a little disjointed in terms of how it relates to the story, but perfect in that manner. and it's a soundtrack i'd buy seperately if i didn't already have everything on it in my cd collection.
I had rented Dummy over the weekend, but didn't get to watch it until last night. I liked it. check out the link to IMDB for more info. but, if you're lazy, then I'll tell you it's got Adrien Brody and Milla Jovovich in it. It's about a guy who's almost 30, lives with his parents and goofy sister, and quits his job to be a ventriloquist. he becomes interested in his unemployment counselor, and does some other stuff. it's cool. the characters are kinda picturesque, and very good. it's hilarious, to boot.
Wow. That's all i can say. probably my favorite Charlie Kaufman flick. I may wax poetic later, but I'm running late.
Eternal Sunshine is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. It was amazing. It's hard to write about or describe, but see it. See it! It was astounding. I loved "Being John Malkovich," but this put even that to shame.Hernando wanted to go see "Hellboy" afterwards--we were at the Davis theater which is only $5 a pop for matinees--but I really couldn't bring myself to sit through it. I promised him we'll go next weekend. With all he does for me I will make myself watch it, but ugh.
i liked this movie way more than i thought i would. actually, i knew nothing about it going in and i feel like that helped me like it. my roommates thought it was depressing, but i didn't see that at all.cinn, my roommate insists hellboy is good. her boy-toy is into comics and whatnot and they went to see it, much to my chagrin. even worse is that she now believes it's a good movie. i guess i can't say for sure, but all my instincts lead me elsewhere.
I saw Elephant yesterday downtown. Terrifying. I'm glad I saw it. I need to see movies more often.
Missed it in the theaters and was glad that I rented it, The Coen brothers just make me laugh like nothing else. Absolutely hysterical movie, and I am liking George Clooney more and more with each movie I see him in.
Never saw it before this past weekend. What a funny movie! Also saw Die Hard. Didn't remember how dumb the dialogue was. It was funny to see Professor Snape as the lead terrorist guy.
i saw it too baggins. really funny.
also, the united states of leland is out in theaters!!!!!! there is new music by jeremy enigk on the web page check it out!!!
is it playing in a lot of theaters? i heard it wasn't going to be in many theaters...perhaps if it is near you guys, Jackie and I could make it up for a double date or even a triple or quadruple date (w/ pedro&alh and BigJ&megan) to go see it?
ya i woul;d like to go see it some time.
waggs i don't have a number for you. jen and i were thinking of going to a movie tonight. but, i have no way of reaching other than here.
i have no phone number anymore... my parents decided the house phone was a waste since everybody had cell phones... everybody but me.tonight's no good, anyway. I don't know anymore... I feel like I don't have any free nights, and I can't afford to travel around anyway...
when Summer starts I'll have Jackie with me more often, and we'll both be more free to do stuff...
and on the movie tip - anybody planning on seeing Kill Bill Vol. 2?
Waiting until the DVD's come out, and I get some free time freed up this summer to start some kendo discipline. I find some pre-knowledge of the foundation that Tarantino's building on one side and sledge-hammering at on the other is useful to better appreciate what he's trying to do.But I do want to see them both . . .
see them on DVD then.I saw Kill Bill Vol. 1 and I loved it.
anybody else see it?
Both of these movies were really funny! Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore were great in Duplex and Dwayne Johnson and Stiffler were great in Rundown!
Jackie and I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on friday night. We both enjoyed it. I'd say that, even though the plotlines are a bit hard to follow at times, it's classic Charlie Kaufmann and possibly more accesible than Being John Malkovich or Adaptation. maybe. I liked it a lot, though. I'd recommend it to anyone with a brain and a heart.
I keep thinking about the reformed Christian guy with the huge Jesus truck. What an interesting character. He was played by Fenster in Usual Suspects.
Benicio del Toro
Intolorable Cruelty
Some fun twists, but overall I didn't find the characters very real or memorable.
Something's Gotta Give
This was a great movie until the end where they sold out for the feel good ending.
Love Actually
Was actually funny and endearing. It was a bit busy with all its subplots, but I liked the cluttered feel as I think it contributed towards the theme.
I liked Something's Gotta Give. the feel good ending... felt good... but I agree, they sold out. I mean, she shoulda stuck with Keanu, no matter how much cooler Jack Nicholson is. know what I mean?
I rented this with H. this weekend and I was underwhelmed. With everything I've heard about the movie I was expecting a lot more. It was sweet and had some very nice moments, but overall I was not blown away. I liked the message and appreciated the visuals, but I think Tim Burtom could have done better.I borrowed "Dancer in the Dark" from one of my student workers. It is absolutely incredible. Very beautiful, though very depressing. I have been wanting to watch it forever and no one would wanted rent it with me (I don't have a rental card). I was holding out to see it with Merc because I know she loves it, but it's maybe a movie best watched alone. Don't plan on being able to talk to anyone for at least five hours after you watch it. And as the person who loaned it to me said, watching in a padded cell wouldn't hurt either. The music, the story, the realistic acting--it is fantastic. Maybe one of my top five favorite movies ever.
But I think that any movie if you hear a lot of hype over doesn't stand a chance to live up to the expectation.I also loved Intolerable Cruelty, but then the Coen brothers just make me laugh.
And I agree that the Something's Gotta Give ending did kind of feel like it wussed out.
On another note the preview for the movie Hero looks fricken awesome, it's from the Producers of "Croughing Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and stars Jet Li, good times!
In the theater:Super Size Me is great. If it's playing by you, you should see it. You'll never eat at a McDonalds again. Or at least not for a week or so.
Mean Girls was also good, very funny.
On video:
The Cooler was decent.
and Lindsey Lohan is cute, she'll be hot in a few years, but for now she's cute.
i love the kill bill movies!
i'm sort of obsessed with them for the time being.
i rented love actually last night and watched it twice. i'm watching it again right now. this is my drug.
I still haven't seen Kill Bill Vol. 2 yet. but I really want to. I just haven't had a chance. I'm glad you like them. It seems fitting to me that you like them.
i can kick some serious ass?walter [and everyone else] i recommend renting the first one a day or two before seeing the second.
her last name=best last name in the world.
In America was amazing!!! go out and rent it asap! amazing!!
yes! yes! We rented it this weekend and it is so great. It just makes you happy to be alive.
I've heard it's very good, which Van Helsing was not!!
I won't say much, as it is worth seeing for yourself. however, I was for the most part disappointed. it looked like it could be good. but the whole movie dragged, i thought. i was sitting there agonizing on how long it took. i kept thinking (and saying) 'build the f***ing horse already and get it over with!'anyway, I'll post more after people see it. I have more to say.
2 hours of special effects... nothing more.
How was one of my favorite actors, Sean Bean (who got to live through a movie but has to wander for 7 years before getting home...guy can't get a break, can he???) as Odysseus?
Sean Bean's Odysseus as expected, one of the few believable, well-acted characters in the movie. I was happy to see that he wasn't dragged down into the muck of the rest of the movie.I wasn't too thrilled with Orlando Bloom's Paris. perhaps he just played Paris well, I don't know well enough to say.
There is certainly a scene that was a blatant rip-off of the cave troll scene in Moria.
I guess if I had to describe the movie in a word it would be: Cheesy.
...or "homage"?I didn't see the movie... but if there's something like that in a movie WITH Orlando Bloom not even a year after the last movie... sounds intentional to me.
it seems to me... see for yourself, I guess.
So now you all have me AND dogmanphil telling you to drop everything and go see In America. Just drop what you're doing and go.
So now you all have me AND chester telling you to drop everything and go see In America. Just drop what you're doing and go.
heard it's great.Saw Shrek 2 last night, it's a lot like the first one, but then the first one was really funny and good, so there's nothing wrong there.
It made me chuckle a lot, so it was worth it, and whoever thought of Antonio Banderas as a voice actor was inspired--I think it's his first time. Puss-in-Boots is an instant classic animated character.
last night i saw 'the revolution will not be televised' in a limited engagement at the egyptian theatre in hollywood. i'm not sure how wide the release is, but i strongly recommend this movie if you can find it.an irish film crew went to venezuela to make a documentary about hugo chavez and ended up capturing on film a bloody coup by a small, rich pocket of venezuelans to oust chavez from the government.
in case yo