Movies - where we can talk about movies

[Jerjo]

We had a PM on the old PE but being no one has started a group, I'll just launch a thread and see how it goes. Try to review without major spoilers please.

Rented "Get Low" with Robert Duvall and Bill Murray plus "Drive" with Ryan Gosling. Both were extraordinary but quite different.

Get Low was a tale set in the 1930s of a cantankerous hermit in the hills of Tennessee who wants to hold his funeral before he dies. It's easy to forget how good of an actor Duvall is but this will remind you. Murray, as usual, is priceless as the down-on-his-luck funeral director.

Drive is a very different animal. Sort of an art house action flick that starts slow and meditative...and then the carnage begins. Gosling plays a mechanic/stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for robberies. He meets a woman in his apartment building with a young son. Then the woman's husband comes home from prison. Gosling ends up driving the ex-con on a job where everything goes very wrong and then things really get nasty. Gosling is very good as a sociopath who was just reaching for humanity when the wheels fall off. Not for everyone, but I loved it.

Last night at the small town theater, we finally saw Ben Affleck's Argo. Damn, who knew this guy would turn out to be such a great director. I don't know how accurate this movie was but the tension was almost unbearable. And they get that '79/'80 atmosphere right.

[Jerjo]

I am bumping this one to see if it gets any traction. Or maybe someone wants to start a group? Hello?

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/CNBC/Sections/News_And_Analysis/_News/_SLIDESHOWS/BestMoneyMovieMonologues/CNBC_business_movie_monologues_Bueller.380;380;7;7 0;0.jpg

[rapidfirerob]

Saw Hugo Saturday, the Martin Scorcese film from 2011. Beautiful film, with a positive message.

[Scott Bails]

Most recently saw the excellent new Bond film, Skyfall.

Many are calling this the best Bond film ever, and Craig the best Bond. I wouldn't go that far, but this definitely is top 5 for me, and easily Craig's best. I like how they keep the story current, but still find a way to harken back to the Bond tradition.

Great action, a storyline that isn't too complicated, and some surprises. Highly recommended for any Bond fan.

[davis]

recently watched: 'American Meth'. Difficult to watch this doc, but definitely worth seeing. A lot of the reviews on the Netflix board are very critical of it, but most of the complaints are irrelevant. The message is very clear: don't even try the stuff.

'Frankenstein's Daughter' would be improved if it was shorter. As is, it moves toooo slooooow. the cheese factor is good :up (so don't bother if you don't like cheese)

'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World' was alright but IMO Keira Knightly dragged it down. cannot recommend it.

[Duncan Glenday]

Rented "Get Low" with Robert Duvall and Bill Murray...

I'm funny in that I sometimes develop an overwhelming, probably unreasonable, dislike for certain actors, and can't stand to watch any movie they're in. Bill Murray is prominent on that list.

[-=RTFR666=-]

Took the kids to see Rise of the Guardians this weekend. Fell asleep during the middle of it, just like i did with Wreck-it Ralph two weeks ago.

We really need a sequel to The Incredibles.

Screened the Zombieland Blu-ray for the youngest daughter (12) that same evening. She loved it. Aside from the opening sequence (i.e., stripper zombies ), it was no more objectionable or inappropriate than the garbage they show on the Nick channels).

Can't wait for The Hobbit...

[Dana5140]

I highly recommend the indie foreign flick "Monsieur Lazhar." It is funny, heart-rending and quite moving, with great child acting.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pBm9keEBAY

[nosebone]

Most recently saw the excellent new Bond film, Skyfall.

Many are calling this the best Bond film ever, and Craig the best Bond. I wouldn't go that far, but this definitely is top 5 for me, and easily Craig's best. I like how they keep the story current, but still find a way to harken back to the Bond tradition.

Great action, a storyline that isn't too complicated, and some surprises. Highly recommended for any Bond fan.


That flick had great momentum, great acting and stunts.

[No Pride]

'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World' was alright but IMO Keira Knightly dragged it down. cannot recommend it.
I thought it was pretty bad. It was funny for about the first fifteen minutes, then it just got stupid.

I'm stoked for seeing "The Life of Pi." Read the book about 5 years ago, loved it and thought it would make a great movie. I hope I was right!

[thedunno]

I recently saw ‘Jagten’ of the Danish director Vinterberg. It’s about a teacher in a small village in Danemark who is falsely accused of sexual harassment of one of his pupils. The whole community turns against him and gradually makes his life into hell while he has no chance at all to defend himself.
What is quite disturbing is that you can really understand the reaction of the villagers and it immediately makes you wonder: “how would I react in such a situation?”

One of the best movies I’ve seen in a while (although I haven’t seen the new Haneke Movie ‘Amour’ yet). Go see it when you have the chance.

[hippypants]

I saw the Rolling Stones concert, bio film, Crossfire Hurricane. I somewhat became less a Stones fan in their later years, so I didn't know if I'd like this film, but did enjoy it well enough.

Inventing David Geffen--bio on the music producer and started the Asylum record label back in the day, discovering many musicians I enjoy: Jackson Browne, C,S, & N, Joni Mitchell, etc. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The Dust Bowl--Ken Burns doc on the subject matter, I enjoyed it as I used to live in West Texas and we had a lot of that type weather so I could relate.

[Facelift]

I saw Skyfall over the weekend. A serviceable Bond film, though Craig is thoroghly unremarkable as James Bond - he plays the character with all the wit and charisma of Vin Diesel. Very good action sequences. It's more like a Jason Bourne movie, but with British accents.

[Jerjo]

I am pissed. Raiders of the Lost Ark is only available on Blu-ray in the big Indiana Jones box that has all four of the movies. Like I want to actually buy the fourth film? They should be paying me to have that in my house!

[Klonk]

I recently watched a post-apocalyptic flick called 'The Day' the other day. Interesting enough, but nothing you haven't seen before in much better movies like 'The Road.'

[Hunnibee]

Saw the Hobbit this past Saturday, and while that was really good, I was pleased to see all the previews of great movies coming out next year, most of them sci-fi. Oblivion, After Earth, new Star Trek, etc. I'm also looking forward to the next Hobbit, which I assume will come out NEXT holiay season, along with the second Hunger Games movie. I'm waiting for the DVD of the first Hunger Games to be released.

As a Johnny Depp devotee, I'm also looking forward to the Lone Ranger next summer. It's going to be a hoot.

Tomorrow, I'm going to watch The Knowing in preparation for Doomsday on Friday, LOL. ;)

[UnephenStephen]

just saw the remake of Total Recall and even though it was entertaining, it wasn't anywhere near like or as good as the original. too dark and depressing and they changed the story too much. i thought the Mars having no atmosphere sub plot and how it played out in the original was brilliant. no such thing in the new one.
also, the 3 breasted girl did appear in the new one but totally out of context. as far as i could tell, there was no mention of any 'commune' of mutants in the new one as there was in the original so where did she come from?! not complaining mind you - just didn't make sense.

[UnephenStephen]

I'm waiting for the DVD of the first Hunger Games to be released.

just saw it Walmart today.

[No Pride]

just saw it Walmart today.

If you liked the movie, you should read the books, Mel, at least if you can manage the time. The movie was fine, but the book was so much better (as is usually the case). I'll admit, I was disappointed with how the third book ended, but all in all, it was a riveting ride!

[Hunnibee]

just saw it Walmart today.

Yay! I didn't realize it would be out yet. I'll work that into my budget somehow. Thanks for letting me know!



If you liked the movie, you should read the books, Mel

I have, and I love them! Many of my friends hate the third book, but I thought the ending was very poignant.

[PeterG]

My film profile:

I generally don't like American films
I generally don't like crime/street action films
I generally don't like power/money/wealth/politics films e.g. John Grisham
I generally don't like cop/crime films
I don't like slasher horror/torture films



I do like dramas
I do like historical dramas
I do like First and Second World War films
I do like comedies
I do like non-English language films
I do like psychological films
I do like ghost films
I do like monster horror films - zombies, vampires, werewolves
I do like sci-fi (just saw Prometheus last week...WOW!!!! And what about that final image?)

[JIF]

Saw Hugo Saturday, the Martin Scorcese film from 2011. Beautiful film, with a positive message.I've been wanting to see that one. So, I got that saved in my Netflix account.

[Jerjo]

Watched the DVD of The Rum Diaries. What a glorious mess that was. Johnny Depp was fine and the movie had its moments but the story was all over the place. Time for Johnny to stop with the quirky shit and do something worthy of his talent.

[Jerjo]

The boys from MST3K (now RiffTrax) have assembled a top ten worst list of the past couple decades or so. I'm glad someone hated X-Men Last Stand as much as I did.

http://www.rifftrax.com/worst-movies-of-all-time

[NogbadTheBad]

Got Prometheus to watch now. Looper was probably my favorite film of the year. I was really looking forward to The Hobbit, and it was a good film, but it could have been so much better, I'm going to go back and watch it at 24 frame rate in 2D and see if it is less distracting.

[Greg]

A few days ago, I watched a 2003 Filipino film called Magnifico. Heart-warming, and heart-wrenching. Excellent film.

[nosebone]

Here's my best "gritty crime drama" list for the 60s/70s:



Bullit
Dirty Harry
Charly Varrick
Across 110th Street
The Taking of Pelham 123
The Friends of Eddy Coyle
Prime Cut
The Getaway
The Seven Ups
The French Connection

I've seen them all, and those are the best.....imho.


I'm going to see Django later today...

[philsunset]

An excellent list. Here's a couple more good ones

Framed
Hickey & Boggs
The Laughing Policeman

[nosebone]

An excellent list. Here's a couple more good ones

Framed
Hickey & Boggs
The Laughing Policeman

The Laughing Policeman was a good slow burner mystery with Walter Matthua in his third and final straight crime drama.

I need to check out Framed with big Joe Don Baker of Walking Tall and Charly Varrick fame, and Hickey & Boggs........, with a straight Bill Cosby?!?

[philsunset]

Yup, Bill Cosby in a straight role. Another film with what might seem odd casting is The Late Show with Art Carney as a PI. Recommended. The 70s was a great decade for crime films (and films in general).

[Greg]

Another film with what might seem odd casting is The Late Show with Art Carney as a PI. Recommended. The 70s was a great decade for crime films (and films in general).

The combo of Art Carney and Lily Tomlin seemed odd to me, but it was a nice film.

And, speaking of Art Carney, his brother was my dentist while I was growing up. Can't count the number of times I met Art while I was still too young to watch The Honeymooners. Really nice guy.

[hippypants]

SyFy Channel had a Star Trek movies marathon. I still enjoy the first picture, although it could have eliminated a few scenes, I still think Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is pretty well made.

[Jerjo]

Star Trek II or IV are probably the best of the Kirk movies. First Contact will always be the best of the Next Gen movies.

We finally saw Skyfall at the little small town theater in the next town over. Not much of a plot but they didn't overthink it like Quantum of Solace. I like that Bond was off his game for most of the film.

[philsunset]

I've been watching quite a few silent films of late. DW Griffith, some German Expressionism and American dramas. It's amazing how advanced those old silents really were. Quite a few masters at work back then.

[Plasmatopia]

I've recently watched a couple of interesting documentaries on Netflix. One about Woody Allen, another called After Porn Ends (IIRC) about porn stars after they leave the industry.

[nosebone]

I've recently watched a couple of interesting documentaries on Netflix. One about Woody Allen, another called After Porn Ends (IIRC) about porn stars after they leave the industry.

I watched After Porn Ends also last week.

Randy Jones!?!:lol

I haven't seen that guys mug since the early 90s....on video.!

He always seemed to ....uh, er, struggle during his big moments.

[Plasmatopia]

Yeah, Randy's story seemed pretty sad. I guess he really had a thing for Tera Patrick.

[nycsteve]

Just saw Looper. Pretty good time travel scifi. Efficent storytelling, well depicted near future. Liked it.
Also saw ,Jeff Who Lives At Home. I like some of the new "small indie" movies, this being one . Satisfying. As was.........
Cedar Rapids , not so small but fun and worth the time to see.

[Progmatic]

I have been watching on Showtime the documentary series Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States (8 x 1-hour parts on demand)....fascinating stuff

[JKL2000]

RE: the gritty 70s crime dramas, don't forget "The Conversation." Another great one.

[JKL2000]

When I was a kid in the 70s, the holy trinity of cool movies for me and my friends was:

Planet of the Apes
Westworld
Rollerball

They all rule. I just watched Rollerball with my son - he'd never seen it and I hadn't in a long time. Still holds up. Yeah, we were raised on 70s dystopian films, weren't we? It's funny how many scenes Rollerball has in common with other 70s sci-fi films. Especially the "the mega-computer that should be able to answer your big question goes haywire" scene, just like in Logan's Run.

[nosebone]

When I was a kid in the 70s, the holy trinity of cool movies for me and my friends was:

Planet of the Apes
Westworld
Rollerball



You might as well throw The Stepford Wives in there as well.

[Jerjo]

When I was a kid in the 70s, the holy trinity of cool movies for me and my friends was:

The Cheerleaders
Blazing Saddles
Emmanuelle

Just kiddling. Well, maybe not kidding about Blazing Saddles. We quoted that and Young Frankenstein all through my junior and senior year.

[JKL2000]

You might as well throw The Stepford Wives in there as well.

Yeah, actually Rollerball has elements of that as well, including a robot going haywire, though not an all-knowing computer. But when Jonathan E is trying to find out what's going on as he's being told to retire, I did think of The Stepford Wives.

[hippypants]

Lastest watched:

Machete--exploitation, but really almost a black comedy it was so over-the-top, I guess I was in the mood as I enjoyed it on some level and I'm not a huge fan of the genre.

The Asphalt Jungle--caper movie gone wrong. If you haven't seen it and are a fan of such genre, be sure to watch it. This is my second viewing of it and it's still impressive.

Dogs of War--early Christopher Walken film where he plays a solider of fortune type trying to overthrow a corrupt African govt. I enjoyed it up until the ending, which I didn't buy into or didn't understand the motivation of Walken's character. Anyway, worth a watch.

Last Action Hero--light fare starred Arnold Schwarzenegger in duel roles--the actor and the role from the film. I enjoyed it as it was a farce on action films, overall fun film if you haven't seen it.

SF film fest on tonight Friday 04, 2013 on TCM: Creature from the Black Lagoon, Tarantula, Incredible Shrinking Man, etc. if interested

[NogbadTheBad]

I got Touch Of Evil (1958) from Blockbuster for the weekend. Love that movie.

[philsunset]

RE The Asphalt Jungle. Probably the best known heist film. And I second the recommendation for anyone who hasnt seen it to check it out. A couple other great ones are

Bob Le Flambeur
Rififi
Le Cercle Rouge

[Ken]

I got Touch Of Evil (1958) from Blockbuster for the weekend. Love that movie.

If you never watched "Get Shorty" (1995), check it out. John Travolta is a Miami low-level loan shark who loves the movies, goes to LA to collect a gambling debt, gets involved with B-movie film-maker Gene Hackman. The movie is based on an Elmore Leonard book, so you know it's a nutty kind of movie. But in one part of the movie, John Travolta's character Chili Palmer goes to the local theatre to see the movie Touch of Evil ! Palmer is sitting in the theatre with a big smile on his face, makes a few comments about the movie, and the screen shows the ending of the movie, and Marlene Dietrich is shown speaking her classic quote "he was some kind of a man. What does it matter what you say about people."

[UnephenStephen]

saw Looper recently and even though i liked it, there's was one thing that didn't make sense to me. after old Joe comes back to 2044 and escapes from young Joe by throwing a gold brick at him (he could do this because he did NOT have a hood over his head), young Joe is chased by the bad guys through his apartment and falls from the fire escape onto a car while old Joe watches (he's still in the past). then the screen goes blank and now suddenly old Joe reappears in 2044 this time wearing a hood where he is shot and killed by young Joe. then only at this point they show young Joe living his life through the next 30 yrs where he is eventually caught by the bad guys, escapes then sends himself back WITHOUT a hood on his head. huh? what circumstances led to old Joe coming back to 2044 a second time and under different circumstances (with the hood on)?
other than that i liked the twist involving the Rainmaker guy.

[Greg]

All this talk of magical hoods, I think I'm just going to break down and watch Looper. I'm soooooo confused.

[JIF]

Took the kids to see Rise of the Guardians this weekend. Fell asleep during the middle of it, just like i did with Wreck-it Ralph two weeks ago.

We really need a sequel to The Incredibles.

Screened the Zombieland Blu-ray for the youngest daughter (12) that same evening. She loved it. Aside from the opening sequence (i.e., stripper zombies ), it was no more objectionable or inappropriate than the garbage they show on the Nick channels).

Can't wait for The Hobbit...I saw Wreck-It Ralph a few weeks ago with my brother. We both liked it. Sarah Silverman was very funny as the little girl. Me, my brother, and some of his friends saw Texas Chainsaw 3D tonight. It picks up where the original 1974 film leaves off. I enjoyed it, but the other people I was with didn't. It has a surprise twist at the end that you just won't believe. I am looking to the new Die Hard and G.I Joe movies coming out.

[Progmatic]

I understand another chapter of "Seven Up! Now we are 56" documentary series is coming out. Any fans?

[Scott Bails]

Finally saw The Dark Knight Rises this past weekend. It was overly long, but the resolution was more than satisfactory.

Having not seen it, I avoided most of the discussion about it when it was out. Was the little comment at the end about Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character an indication of something to come (trying to avoid spoilers here), or was it just a throwaway?

[Greg]

I am looking to the new Die Hard...coming out.

Really? Isn't Willis too old for that franchise, now? He's no Stallone (but, Stallone isn't really Stallone any more without chemical assistance).

[Jerjo]

The original Die Hard was playing on HBO over the Christmas/New Years break. Man, what a great holiday movie, especially without half of it getting bleeped out.

I could just care less about these old action stars' new movies: Ahnold, Sly, Bruce. I'd much rather see Jason Statham, Jeremy Renner, Daniel Craig, Matt Damon...

[JIF]

Really? Isn't Willis too old for that franchise, now? He's no Stallone (but, Stallone isn't really Stallone any more without chemical assistance).Hey, I think that Bruce looked better in the last Die Hard(Live Free Or Die Hard) than in the first three. Has he given up smoking? Just asking, because the first three Die Hard movies had him making a comment that he was out of shape, and should quit smoking. He looked more buff in Live Free Or Die Hard, and not as "plain". What I mean that the first three Die Hard movies had him looking like those NY everyday Joe beat cops compared to his more slimmer frame in the last Die Hard movie. According to IMDB, Patrick Stewart has a rumored role as a Russian general. It would be cool to see him as a bad guy in that movie. I liked his villain role in Conspiracy Theory. I would like to see the new Die Hard movie first, and then make the judgement if Bruce still has what it takes.

[Greg]

Hey, I think that Bruce looked better in the last Die Hard(Live Free Or Die Hard) than in the first three. Has he given up smoking?

He might have been on a health kick for a bit, I have no idea. But, did you see him Expendables 2? For that matter, did you see any of them in that film? Even Statham looked a bit under the weather. But, I guess they all were in top shape compared to Schwarzenegger.

The first one was kinda' fun, the second was about as tired as the actors looked.

[nycsteve]

Just watched God Bless America . Very good satire with uncomfortable storyline. It involves a killing spree with shootings in movie theaters, TV shows etc. The theater scene is not exploiting the real life event as the movie precedes the real life event. The 80s comic Bobcat Goldwaith wrote and directed this and turns out a surprisingly good movie. Its a statement against the stupidifying (spell I cant) and desensitising of America with well placed shots at celebrity worship, reality shows, greed ,religious intolerance,TMZ, and the just plain rudeness that has become the norm. I didnt forget this movie right after turning off the set, it stayed with me for awhile, the mark of a decent movie to me. Its not a comedy, but its not unfunny. It was worth my 90 minutes.

[UnephenStephen]

saw Looper recently and even though i liked it, there's was one thing that didn't make sense to me. after old Joe comes back to 2044 and escapes from young Joe by throwing a gold brick at him (he could do this because he did NOT have a hood over his head), young Joe is chased by the bad guys through his apartment and falls from the fire escape onto a car while old Joe watches (he's still in the past). then the screen goes blank and now suddenly old Joe reappears in 2044 this time wearing a hood where he is shot and killed by young Joe. then only at this point they show young Joe living his life through the next 30 yrs where he is eventually caught by the bad guys, escapes then sends himself back WITHOUT a hood on his head. huh? what circumstances led to old Joe coming back to 2044 a second time and under different circumstances (with the hood on)?
other than that i liked the twist involving the Rainmaker guy.

no Looper fans who can answer this?

[Plasmatopia]

I saw this a couple nights ago and thought it was pretty good:

Last Days Here (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/last_days_here_2011/)

[Paulie]

As a lifelong fan of "Giant-Monster-Wrecks-City-and-the-Military-Throws-Everything-They-Got-at-it" movies (i.e the insanely great Cloverfield) AND Guillermo del Toro, I am really looking forward to this one:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vKz7WnU83E

I could do without the giant robots, but I'll take whatever I can get.

[Scott Bails]

Wow, Paulie. That looks pretty damn cool! :up

[No Pride]

I saw an interesting movie last weekend; "World's Greatest Dad." I don't want to say too much about it except that Robin Williams is the lead, it's a "dark comedy" and the storyline is most unusual; never seen another film quite like it. It certainly qualifies as a social commentary.

BTW, I saw "Hancock" on the tube recently. I'd seen it before, but my girlfriend's daughter never had so I watched it again with her. It's one of those "starts out great but they dropped the ball somewhere along the way" kinda movies. I loved the first half, but somewhere in the middle, it morphs from being a pretty funny comedy to a silly and stupid drama. It almost seemed like they changed the screenwriter and director halfway through. How does that happen?!

[Scott Bails]

I had the same impression of Hancock, Ernie. Like two different movies.

[JIF]

Who has heard of and/or seen movies called The Stuff, The House Where Evil Dwells, The Club, Vamp, or Prime Evil? Found those movies on Netflix.

[nycsteve]

Watched 2011s Killer Joe last night. Has Matthew McConaughey in the against type title role. His easy style translates well to a sociopathic hitman /cop. Thomas Haden Church good as a witless hillbilly.Gina Gershon very sexy and ultra slutty. Lots of nudity, more than the plot line requires,the film is uncomfortable in a good way, decent suspense,violent. The Jerry Springer people in greedy overdrive ,a son plots the murder of his mothher for insurance , aided by family. McConaughey is the hired gun. Cross ,double and triple cross. 3 out of 4 stars for me.

[Facelift]

And the 2012 Oscar nominations are:

Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django
Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Lining Playbook
0 Dark 30

[HealthyNational]

Saw a screening of Silver Linings Playbook and thought it was brilliant.

[Plasmatopia]

Watched a couple of zombie movies recently - Stakeland (okay, vampires) and Exit Humanity. Stakeland had some interesting elements I hadn't seen in a zombie/vampire apocalypse movie before, but really kind of went nowhere. Exit Humanity I thought was pretty decent - or at least had something that I liked. A few moments of brilliance, a few moments of lame dialogue that surprised me considering how good I thought some parts of it were. A bit uneven in that respect. And the "bad guy" did some ridiculously bad acting. But the basic idea of being set just after the American Civil War was a bit of a change from most zombie movies.

[Facelift]

But the basic idea of being set just after the American Civil War was a bit of a change from most zombie movies.
A zombie period-piece? I'm intrigued.

[No Pride]

And the 2012 Oscar nominations are:

Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django
Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Lining Playbook
0 Dark 30
The only one I've seen is "Life of Pi." I loved the book and I thought the movie was about the best film adaptation of a book that I've ever seen.

[Greg]

I don't know if Zero Dark Thirty is Oscar winning material. I thought it was a good film, and pretty well done, but I wonder if it's the subject matter and controversy in Congress at the moment, that's got it on the Oscar list.

I hear Les Miserables is fantastic, but I've only seen the promo clips.

[nycsteve]

A zombie period-piece? I'm intrigued.

Also there Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, also set in pre civil war and during the civil war. Its a 2012 pic ,special effects heavy, good production. Kinda like the Van Helsing movie. 2 out of 4. But fun.

[Klonk]

I saw an interesting movie last weekend; "World's Greatest Dad." I don't want to say too much about it except that Robin Williams is the lead, it's a "dark comedy" and the storyline is most unusual; never seen another film quite like it. It certainly qualifies as a social commentary.

I thought this movie was awesome. Dark humor no doubt and really well done. Robin Williams was fantastic.

A similar dark-humor style of movie I'd highly recommend is 'Wristcutters : A Love Story'. :lol yes you read that right.

[Lou]

Who has heard of and/or seen movies called The Stuff, The House Where Evil Dwells, The Club, Vamp, or Prime Evil? Found those movies on Netflix.

The Stuff ? The classic low budget horror film? (with Chocolate Chip Charlie?) Ben considering picking up a used copy of this.

Prime Evil? About the giant gator? Not bad, as I recall.

[JIF]

The Stuff ? The classic low budget horror film? (with Chocolate Chip Charlie?) Ben considering picking up a used copy of this.

Prime Evil? About the giant gator? Not bad, as I recall.Yes, that Stuff. I watched, but didn't like it. Was it a tv movie? Seemed like it. No, the Prime Evil movie I am talking about is from '88, and is about Satanic monks. I believe you are thinking of Eaten Alive.

[Lou]

Yes, that Stuff. I watched, but didn't like it. Was it a tv movie? Seemed like it. No, the Prime Evil movie I am talking about is from '88, and is about Satanic monks. I believe you are thinking of Eaten Alive.

The Stuff wasn't made for tv, but it may have been direct to video.

There was also a Prime Evil film about a giant gator.That's the one I have. I have not seen the one about the monks. Any good?

[Klonk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE6Z1nBqLwo

[Klonk]

This was a pretty decent killer croc flick...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX9wVLKs4nA

[Lou]

Looks promising Klonk.

[Klonk]

It's good if you like downbeat, "oh shit, this could happen" types of movies like Open Water or Frozen. The empty feeling lingers for a while after it's over. :lol sounds fun right?!

Is it bizarre that I like this stuff? :lol

[JIF]

I just saw Looper for the first time tonight. I loved it, despite it being confusing as shit. Did a lot of the same scenes happen twice? Like when the older Joe comes from the future.

[UnephenStephen]

I just saw Looper for the first time tonight. I loved it, despite it being confusing as shit. Did a lot of the same scenes happen twice? Like when the older Joe comes from the future.see my previous post and lack of responses. i'm assuming nobody knows the answer.

[Paulie]

Black Water is a great flick Klonky! Another great "oh shit, this could happen" flick is "The Reef." As a matter of fact, i think it was based on a true story.

BTW, if you liked Bobcat Goldthwait's World's Greatest Dad, check out his other indie "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie." Talk about fearless! :lol

[Lou]

It's good if you like downbeat, "oh shit, this could happen" types of movies like Open Water or Frozen.
Is it bizarre that I like this stuff? :lol

Loved Frozen! I like that kind of stuff too. I think that makes us normal, not bizarre. :O

[cupwonder]

I'm looking forward to the Oscars--watch it every year. I have a feeling that Lincoln's going to clean up. Haven't seen it, but I've been wanting to.

[Jerjo]

I thought Lincoln was going to clean up at the Golden Globes but Argo and Les Miz were beating it in every category but best actor. This might be a more interesting race than we thought. Of course, the Academy voters are pretty conservative and old. They could still go for Lincoln because Argo lifts their blood pressure and Les Miz is all about the French. ;)

[Klonk]

I'll pay attention to the stupid Oscars when low budget horror is given it's due.

:D

[Jerjo]

Speaking of low budget horror, what ever happened to Rayzilla? Haven't seen him post in a few years.

[Klonk]

He's probably busy making a new SyFy original...

Wasppopotamus : The Big Sting

[nycsteve]

Finally saw The Dark Knight Rises. I found it to long but its beautiful to look at, well put together and has a great ending. Will Christian Bale be involved in any future Batmans or for that matter C Nolan?

[Big Ears]

Flightplan (US 2005), directed by Robert Schwentke, is a thriller in which Kyle (Jodie Foster) and her six-year-old daughter return from Berlin to the US with the body of her dead husband. During the flight, Jodie falls asleep and wakes to find her daughter is missing. At first she searches the cabin until she has to report the incident to the captain, played by Sean Bean. Being British, and despite the responsibility of his vocation, he is astonishingly stupid and fails to believe Jodie's story. A massive hole in the plot appears at this stage, insofar as no-one on board saw the little girl before she vanished, including the flight staff and those at the airport. Of course it transpires that a nasty air marshall, played by Peter Sarsgaard with a look of permanent bewilderment, had kidnapped her and placed her in the hold. Matching the captain for silliness, his intention is to exthort money and frame Foster. We are expected to believe that he thought it was a good idea to kidnap the child of not only a tough and resourceful woman (Foster), but also the co-designer of the aircraft. Thus (plot hole 2) Foster is the worst possible victim, after Wesley Snipes, Kurt Russell and Harrison Ford. After all, how many people fly to the US and did not design the aircraft which carries them? Jodie is convincing as the anti-femme fatale, but is not entirely comfortable in the scenes with the little girl (actually a very good actress Marlene Lawston - I wonder what happened to her?). Greta Scacchi has a bizarre cameo as a therapist, inexplicably pulled from a hat to administer advice to Foster following her child's abduction. Despite all this utter nonsense, the plot is fast moving and the action is well-handled. Notwithstanding the absurdity of their roles, Bean and Sarsgaard cleverly mask their characters' intentions, while the scenes involving the little girl drawing a heart in the condensation on the cabin porthole are quite effective.

[UnephenStephen]

and despite the responsibility of his vocation, he is astonishingly stupid and fails to believe Jodie's story. A massive hole in the plot appears at this stage, insofar as no-one on board saw the little girl before she vanished, including the flight staff and those at the airport.this is exactly what i hated about this movie - the stubbornness and/or ignorance displayed by everyone involved in that flight. not everyone could have been bribed or threatened by the bad guy. it was so bad, at the end when she was walking out of the airport with her kid, i so badly wanted her to turn around and flip the bird to everybody around her.

[Big Ears]

^ It could've been worse, it could've been Passenger 57!

[Klonk]

"Always bet on black"

[JIF]

Flightplan (US 2005), directed by Robert Schwentke, is a thriller in which Kyle (Jodie Foster) and her six-year-old daughter return from Berlin to the US with the body of her dead husband. During the flight, Jodie falls asleep and wakes to find her daughter is missing. At first she searches the cabin until she has to report the incident to the captain, played by Sean Bean. Being British, and despite the responsibility of his vocation, he is astonishingly stupid and fails to believe Jodie's story. A massive hole in the plot appears at this stage, insofar as no-one on board saw the little girl before she vanished, including the flight staff and those at the airport. Of course it transpires that a nasty air marshall, played by Peter Sarsgaard with a look of permanent bewilderment, had kidnapped her and placed her in the hold. Matching the captain for silliness, his intention is to exthort money and frame Foster. We are expected to believe that he thought it was a good idea to kidnap the child of not only a tough and resourceful woman (Foster), but also the co-designer of the aircraft. Thus (plot hole 2) Foster is the worst possible victim, after Wesley Snipes, Kurt Russell and Harrison Ford. After all, how many people fly to the US and did not design the aircraft which carries them? Jodie is convincing as the anti-femme fatale, but is not entirely comfortable in the scenes with the little girl (actually a very good actress Marlene Lawston - I wonder what happened to her?). Greta Scacchi has a bizarre cameo as a therapist, inexplicably pulled from a hat to administer advice to Foster following her child's abduction. Despite all this utter nonsense, the plot is fast moving and the action is well-handled. Notwithstanding the absurdity of their roles, Bean and Sarsgaard cleverly mask their characters' intentions, while the scenes involving the little girl drawing a heart in the condensation on the cabin porthole are quite effective.IF you watch the whole movie, you'll hear one of the little kids whisper to their parent: "i told you she had a little girl", or something like that. People didn't notice the daughter getting on the plane because she was covered by a blanket.

[JIF]

^ It could've been worse, it could've been Passenger 57!That's an awesome movie!!

[Klonk]

I make my own movies...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vbScbRbTaI

[Progbear]

Speaking of the Oscars, I recently watched Beasts of the Southern Wild. Well, perhaps “watched” is not the right term. “Listened to” is more accurate.

Perhaps I should explain...

About ten or fifteen minutes into the film, I started feeling very queasy. I thought I must have eaten or drunk something that disagreed with me. It took me a few minutes to realize that it was the movie itself that was making me sick! I had no qualms about the film’s content, that was fine. It’s the camerawork. The camera never...stops...moving! This movie was shot like the camera was operated by someone with Parkinson’s, after someone had given them three triple shots of espresso. I would liked to have actually watched the movie, rather than the ceiling, floor and back of my eyelids, but the persistent use of jitter-cam precluded that. There really ought to be a warning/disclaimer with films like these, as well as Dramamine™ for sale in the lobby.

One good thing came out of this experience, I did discover Movie Hurl (http://movie-hurl.com/) as a result. I wish we didn’t need it. Note to filmmakers, use a f&*%ing tripod!

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

‘“What blow, Goblin?” said Corinius.’ --E. R. Eddison

N.P.:“Childe Roland (A Hero’s Life)”-The Enid/Aerie Faerie Nonsense

[Jerjo]

I think I'll be dropping Beasts of the Southern Wild off my Netflix queue.

We watched the Savages with Laura Linney and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Exquisite acting as expected but if you're got ailing parents this might put you into the fetal position.

[Greg]

I agree with the hand-held documentary style filmwork of Beast of the Southern Wild. But, I don't feel it was enough to ruin the film.

My wife and I actually liked it a lot--and, my wife is extremely picky about films; very easily bored.

[hippypants]

Monday I caught the James Stewart film, Spirit of St. Louis. He played the part of Charles Lindbergh and was about him raising funds to buy the plane and then the actual flight, which I found interesting. Of course, the film portrays him as a folk hero, which at the time, he probably was, however, I saw a recent American Experience on PBS about the kidnapping of his child, which took a different look at him, which I was unaware of. Still The Spirit of St. Louis is a good film, particularly if you like films on flying and aviation.

I also watched Papillion, with Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen in his last movie role. I found it to be pretty engrossing in a adventurous way.

[Joe F.]

I also watched Papillion, with Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen in his last movie role. I found it to be pretty engrossing in a adventurous way.

Good movie, but not McQueen's last role. He did The Towering Inferno, Tom Horn and a couple of others. I believe his last movie was The Hunter from 1980.

[hippypants]

The Hunter--I'll have to check that out, I don't think I've ever seen it.

I watched All Quiet On The Western Front (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020629/?ref_=sr_1) last night about a German solider in WWI. Pretty good battle scenes, and story.

[nycsteve]

McQueens last picture was indeed The Hunter from 1980. Its not bad and worth viewing,although I would screen his earlier stuff first. My favorites are The Getaway and Bullitt. If I remember correctly when McQueen did Papillion he became the highest paid actor at the time, with a 1 or 2 million dollar paycheck.
I just saw Flight with Denzel Washington on DVD. A really good movie from start to finish. Definitly worth a view. 3 1/2 of 4
Other recent watches
The Total Recall remake. Servicable scifi , flashy special effects, plenty of action, keeps the central paranioa of the first but some how Arnolds was better. 2 1/2 of 4
Seven Psycopaths with Sam Rockwell, Chris Walken, Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson. Walken is priceless, although with the talent involved it could have been better. Im a alken fan, I'll watch anything with him in it, 3 of 4.
The Paperboy. This is an excellent film. Major stars, Nichol kidmann, Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, John Cussack. Deliberately paced , at time violent and sexually explicit, with engrossing charactors, top notch acting. I thought about this one days after viewing. I'de call this a must see. Lee Daniels who directed Precious directed this.Totally differant , 4 of 4.
Frankenweenie, OK Burton stop action ala Nightmare Before Christmas, not as full a movie but OK. 2 of 4.
Jimmy Stewart's Flight Of The Phoenix concerning oil workers stranded in the desert after a plane crash. Heads above the Dennis Quade remake. 3 of 4 easly. Add a 1/2 point to the original for star power.

[Greg]

The Total Recall remake. Servicable scifi , flashy special effects, plenty of action, keeps the central paranioa of the first but some how Arnolds was better. 2 1/2 of 4


Yeah, I agree. I think I would have liked it a bit better if they didn't associate it at all with Arnold's version.



Seven Psycopaths with Sam Rockwell, Chris Walken, Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson. Walken is priceless, although with the talent involved it could have been better. Im a alken fan, I'll watch anything with him in it, 3 of 4.


I have a strange fetish for Walken films, too. It will be a sad day when he stops making films.

I really liked Suicide Kings. I thought his role in Kill the Irishman was good, but he wasn't in the film enough--good film though. Looking forward to Stand Up Guys.



The Paperboy. This is an excellent film.


Thanks. I was debating on this one--more because the wife gets easily bored. Sounds like she may like it.

[nosebone]

I have a strange fetish for Walken films, too. It will be a sad day when he stops making films.



Same here.

I recently watched two Walken films, The Dogs Of War ( 1980) and Heaven's Gate ( 1980)

DOW is a mediocre war mercenary film with Walken as a weird & skinny baddass.

No action until the last 20 minutes.


I'm about half way through Michael Ciminos 3 and 1/2 hour epic western and already nodded off three times.

Beautiful set design, cinematography and music, but every scene outstays its welcome for at least five minutes.

[Oreb]

I watched the DVD version of Ted the other day. Ridiculous, juvenile and I laughed myself silly. The Ted Danson cameos are priceless.

Also finally saw Ken Russell's Savage Messiah. May well be the best thing he ever did IMO.

[JIF]

I watched the DVD version of Ted the other day. Ridiculous, juvenile and I laughed myself silly. The Ted Danson cameos are priceless.

Also finally saw Ken Russell's Savage Messiah. May well be the best thing he ever did IMO.I love Ted. Sam Jones was funny, too. Btw, I always knew that Ryan Reynolds was gay. LOL!

[JKL2000]

I wanna see the movie where Jack Black plays some wacky gospel singer - forget the title, but I heard him interviewed on NPR and his singing was amazing.

Watched "Flight" tonight. Interesting, and I had no idea what it was really about before watching it. I thought it was a complete action flick and was surprised by the different tack it takes. I'd never thought much of Denzel Washington before, but he was really good.

[Greg]

Has anyone gotten through "Upside Down" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1374992/?

I've started it twice, now, and have not been able to get past the first 15 minutes.

This is a film showcasing a love story between two people from different "worlds" that apparently completely defy the physics of gravity and planetary bodies. But, I've decided to completely overlook that bizarreness just to see if the story is any good, and I've failed to endure even the preliminary character development.

It has a Brazil-like feel to it, but it seems to be all over the place.

[JKL2000]

I agree with the hand-held documentary style filmwork of Beast of the Southern Wild. But, I don't feel it was enough to ruin the film.

My wife and I actually liked it a lot--and, my wife is extremely picky about films; very easily bored.

I didn't notice the hand-held style at all, really. The cinematography seemed really good to me. Great movie, with just one Speilbergian scene I could have done without (all the "patients" escaping).

[hippypants]

I wanna see the movie where Jack Black plays some wacky gospel singer - forget the title, but I heard him interviewed on NPR and his singing was amazing.


Isn't there another movie where he plays a funeral director? He got good reviews with that one too.

Never heard much about The Paperboy, I'll have to remember that title, sounded interesting.

I enjoyed Dogs of War for what it was, the ending didn't make much sense to me however. I almost enjoyed the whole set up part before the ending battle scenes, but they were okay too.

TCM this time of year around the time of the Oscars shows some good movies. I caught All Quiet On The Western Front--young and naive German solider gets involved in WWI and witnesses the negative side of it first hand. Good battle sequences and story.

Also watched, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn--a good period film about living and trying to make ends meet in 1900 NYC, while also dealing with a loving, yet alcoholic father, and stern, hard working mother.

[nycsteve]

written
"Never heard much about The Paperboy, I'll have to remember that title, sounded interesting. "

The Paperboy is "out of the box" filmmaking. Which to me made it so good. It may not be for everyone, the violence and sex is explicit. But this is not a violent or sexually explicit movie overall, the charactors and storyline differ from the typical Hollywood approach , this made even more interesting by the fact that the movie is populated by mainstream popular actors, who IMO really take chances and let thier hair down. Extremly satisfying film to me , one of a minority of adult themed flicks in a sea of teen oriented movies. I came away with plenty to think about , rather than the forgettable pablum experiance of most of todays flicks. IMO one of Nichol Kiddmans best roles.

[Vic2012]

Flightplan (US 2005), directed by Robert Schwentke,

I saw this one. It's the second in a "trilogy" of films Jodie Foster made showing her badass, macho side. The other two were Panic Room and The Brave One (or something like that). They're not bad films. I think Jodie's a good actress. Yeah, you have to suspend your disbelief with these three films, but they're okay if you like watching this kind of thing (a woman takes on the world with her wits and a gun or two, and she cleans up and kicks a lot of ass).

[Jerjo]

The movie with Jack Black as the gospel singing undertaker is called Bernie. It's based on a true story and is pretty entertaining. Black is amazing in the role.

[JIF]

The movie with Jack Black as the gospel singing undertaker is called Bernie. It's based on a true story and is pretty entertaining. Black is amazing in the role.Don't think that he was a gospel singer in that one? Just a funeral director.

[rapidfirerob]

Saw a great Norwegian thriller called Headhunters last night. Lots of twists and turns, sometimes too many, but an
excellent film nonetheless.

[nycsteve]

Finally saw Ted the other night. Meh.........nothing special IMO.
Hit And Run is on tap next.

[nosebone]

Saw a great Norwegian thriller called Headhunters last night. Lots of twists and turns, sometimes too many, but an
excellent film nonetheless.


Good film and its on Netflix Instant.

Finally saw Argo , and I liked it a lot.

Great story, and fantastic 1979 set design.

[Ken]

Recent Hollywood movies I saw, enjoyed them all:
-Lincoln
-Django Unchained
-Silver Linings Playbook
-Argo
-Skyfall
-Flight

Not one of the above left me thinking seeing it was a waste of time and money, but more important the wife concurred. After dragging her to see Tree of Life, that's the standard question I hear about any movie she is unfamiliar with. It goes like this, I hope you're not dragging me to see another Tree of Life ?

Despite just one oscar nomination, Skyfall was a really well-made movie. Same for Flight.

[hippypants]

-Lincoln
-Django Unchained
-Silver Linings Playbook
-Argo
-Skyfall
-Flight

I want to see them all too, along with The Hobbit. I'm not sure if I'd care for Flight, however.

Movies I saw this past February:

The Graduate--perfect picture for me
Good Morning Vietnam
The Spirit of St. Louis
Norma Rae
Sahara
The Goodbye Girl
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machine--a bit zany, but actually enjoyed watching it.
A Patch of Blue--most poignant film I've seen in a while, worth recommending.
5,000 Fingers of Dr. T--Dr. Suess inspired tale
Werewolf of London--the 1935? version, said to be the first werewolf tale.

[nosebone]

Here's the last bunch I saw :

-Argo
-The Master
-Trek Nation
-3 Backyards
- Smile - A comedic and cynical look at a junior Miss beauty pageant in California. Starring Bruce Dern and a very young Melanie Griffith.
-Blue Collar - Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel involved in a botched robbery. Not a comedy.
-Holes In MY Shoes

I enjoyed them all!

Blue Collar and Smile are both mid 70s forgotten gems.

[proggosaurus]

saw Flight, The Hobbit and Life of Pi. all great movies. I really enjoyed the Life of Pi. wonderful! Is The Hobbit going to be a trilogy like Lord Of The Rings?

[proggosaurus]

another good (Australian) flick I watched recently is Tomorrow When the War Began based on a series of novels by John Marsden. the premise is much like Red Dawn but this movie is soooo much better IMO.

[Jerjo]

I'm not sure if I'd care for Flight, however.

It was well made and Denzel was awesome, but watching 2+ hours of bad behavior from an alcoholic is tough sledding. Glad I watched it but I'll never watch it again. The flight sequence was incredible.

[Greg]

Is The Hobbit going to be a trilogy like Lord Of The Rings?

In a way, it better be. It cut off at a point only about a third into the book.

[Joe F.]

- Smile - A comedic and cynical look at a junior Miss beauty pageant in California. Starring Bruce Dern and a very young Melanie Griffith.
Smile are both mid 70s forgotten gems.

I really liked Smile. I saw it a bunch of times on TV back in the late '70s or very early '80s. I think it was on the ABC Sunday night movie, back when the major networks would do those kind of things. It might already be in my Netflix que.

[JKL2000]

^ What I've heard is that the second movie is going to finish up the story of The Hobbit, then the third movie is going to be something else, but I don't know what. The Silmarillion perhaps. Not 100% sure this is true.

I just watched "Juan of the Dead," which I don't think I'd ever even heard of. VERY funny movie, a Cuban version of Shaun of the Dead. A lot of really funny. innovative things in it, but all on a low budget.

[philsunset]

Tested out my new plasma and Oppo last night with The Night of the Hunter for B&W and Days of Heaven for color. They looked great. Both are special films in my world.

[nosebone]

Re-watched The Laughing Policeman ( 1973) last night.

Slow paced thriller starring Walter mathau and Bruce Dern.

Gritty and realistic that reminded me of Bullitt.

[philsunset]

Re-watched The Laughing Policeman ( 1973) last night.

Slow paced thriller starring Walter mathau and Bruce Dern.

Gritty and realistic that reminded me of Bullitt.
.
I like that film more and more. A gritty 70s flick in my to watch pile is Badge 373. Haven't seen that one

[davis]

For a long time I've been curious about Waterworld, since it was universally trashed by critics. So I dvrd it on Encore and watched it last night. thought it was pretty entertaining. A friend described it as like Mad Max on water, which I totally agreed with early on in it and that's fine by me.

[Cats On Glue]

watched Beasts of The Southern Wild on the weekend. quite a good acting job by the 9 year old. interesting movie, not for those wanting action pact though.

[Greg]

Saw Stand Up Guys last night. I enjoyed it a lot; but I was a little disappointed Arkin had such a small role.

I think it was last month I watched War Witch (originally titled "Rebelle"). Very good film. Shot in a very similar style to Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Soon on my list are "Attack Girls Swim Team Vs The Undead" and "Dead Sushi", but I doubt they'll be worth commenting on.

[JIF]

watched Beasts of The Southern Wild on the weekend. quite a good acting job by the 9 year old. interesting movie, not for those wanting action pact though.Speaking of which, do you hear about Matthew McConaughey being banned from the Oscars. Apparently, he asked the audience of they wanted to see his beast of the Southern wild.

[davis]

Saw 'The Sadist' over the weekend. my 2nd time, my wife's first time. Arch Hall Jr. is over the top.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoggVRKSeSQ

[Jerjo]

The Mrs and I watched the classic Mrs. Miniver (1942) on TCM last night. We've had issues with the signal our cable service has for TCM but last night it was flawless. Wonder what this channel would look like in HD. Anyway, the film is a product of its time, a bit melodramatic in places and my wife pointed out that Downton Abbey stole one of the subplots. But they killed the family member you least expected to die and Greer Garson looked glorious.

[Ken]

The Mrs and I watched the classic Mrs. Miniver (1942) on TCM last night. We've had issues with the signal our cable service has for TCM but last night it was flawless. Wonder what this channel would look like in HD. Anyway, the film is a product of its time, a bit melodramatic in places and my wife pointed out that Downton Abbey stole one of the subplots. But they killed the family member you least expected to die and Greer Garson looked glorious.

I get TCM in HD thru Comcast/Infinity/whatever they go by. The picture comes through just as sharp as any other HD channel, but if you start off with a grainy old film stock, that remains. One night last month on TCM, I watched both Bonnie & Clyde and Cool Hand Luke.

[davis]

Watched 'Riding Giants' last night. LOVED it. Interestingly, the majority of the music in it is not surf rock, but all of it works really well. here's a trailer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADy8f6t4Ri8

[zombywoof]

I saw Amadeus for the first time. A brilliantly shot, acted, and written period-drama about the life of Mozart. Supposedly it's heavily fictionalized, but that didn't take away from the film at all. I always enjoy movies about musicians and people who are passionate about music (go figure). The soundtrack wasn't half-bad either. :-)

[JIF]

I saw Amadeus for the first time. A brilliantly shot, acted, and written period-drama about the life of Mozart. Supposedly it's heavily fictionalized, but that didn't take away from the film at all. I always enjoy movies about musicians and people who are passionate about music (go figure). The soundtrack wasn't half-bad either. :-)Rock me, Amadeus. Amadeus, Amadeus.

[Jerjo]

Amadeus is based on a popular stage play. It made no bones about straying from the reality. It's more a meditation on a man forced to acknowledge his mediocrity in the face of genius and driven mad by it. But yeah, it is a brilliant film. Most movies are content to have one seminal scene, Amadeus had several.

I watched a Biography program several years ago on Mozart and while the movie changed a lot, there was a lot about Wolfie they got right: his poor money management, coarse personality, and the sonovabitch rarely ever made a correction when writing a piece. It was all in his head and then it went down on paper. Made our favorite rock composers look like schlubs.

[No Pride]

I saw Amadeus for the first time.
A classic! I've seen it at least three times; it's a hard one to get tired of.

Salieri was a real person, btw. Whether he plotted Mozart's demise or not is suspect at best, but I don't find it hard to believe that he was jealous and envious.

[Chuck AzEee!]

Saw OZ with my wife last week. A waste of oxygen. Although Mila Kunis is scrumptous in the movie. :drool

[izz_brian]

I have to disagree a bit about Oz the Great and Powerful. My desire to WANT to like it has to be taken into consideration, to be sure, because my eldest daugther really loved it. My takeaway is that there are really good elements, but it is uneven, suffers from CGI disease, and is dragged down by a weak and detached performance by James Franco (who has turned in quite a few weak performances in his career). I do believe that, if they had gotten Robert Downey Jr. as they originally intended, it would have been worlds better. The reason I defend the film is the script, which I think does a really clever job weaving elements of Baum books and the 30's Judy Garland film into a plausible, fairly airtight prequel. There are so many subtle, yet organic, uses of the existing Oz material sewn into the story, yet it doesn't feel forced.

It is campy as hell in the second act, though. It turns into an even more immature version of "Army of Darkness" by the end, but then again I love that film. Not as much as Evil Dead 2, but it's still fun.

[Greg]

I watched The Man with the Iron Fists last night and couldn't stop thinking that it stole part of its plot from Tarantino's Django Unchaned. Apparently (according to Wikipedia), RZA and Tarantino has talked about doing a cross-over of the two films, which may or may not fallen through.

Watchable, but nothing spectacular. The editing of the score is--as with many other modern day films--far too loud compared with the dialogue; almost 10 stops on the volume scale, which made this a troublesome film to listen to.

Definitely a Tarantino-style cast, with what could have been re-hashed scenes from Kill Bill.

Glad I didn't pay to see it, though. I actually felt the same way about Django Unchained. Glad I didn't run to the theatre to see that one, either.

[Jerjo]

We just watched a strange little film called Fairy Tale: A True Story. If there was a cinematic equivalent to simple pastoral music, this might be it. It is loosely based on the story of the Cottingley Fairies but it moves at such a graceful pace it was cinematic comfort food even for a jaded couple like us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies

[Greg]

My wife and I watched Fairy Tale about a year ago. very good film. But, I'd say it's not at all "loosely" based on the Cottingly Fairies, but an attempt at putting the Cottingly hoax into a full story. The film makers even marketed the film as "based on factual events". We still loved the film, though--had the wife believing the photos were real for a bit.

[hippypants]

Lincoln--pretty good, though thrown off a bit by the language, however, the sets and acting were spot on. Emotional and a bit of humor here and there, and it was intelligently handled.

Megamind--slipped under my radar, however I'm not a huge animation fan, so not surprised. Just caught if off TV, but enjoyed it for the story and found it pretty engaging.

Edge of the City--Sidney Poitier and John Cassavetes play blue collar labors and become friends, but also have to deal with their jerk for a boss. A well made drama.

[davis]

Saw Spies A-Go-Go [aka Nasty Rabbit], Prehistoric Women, Hollywood After Dark, and Rotten Apple yesterday. Rotten Apple was pretty good; I think it actually rises above b-movie status. maybe not. Really enjoyed it. My wife is out of town this weekend, so I'm getting Jimi Plays Berkeley, Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti, and Step Into Liquid DVDs.

[Jerjo]

Finally saw Chronicle and wow, just fucking wow. Far deeper and more realistic than I thought it would be. Best SF film I've seen in a while.

[NogbadTheBad]

I Watched Man On A Ledge yesterday, singularly unimpressed, these kinds of revenge caper movies need some degree of plausibility, this was just dumb.

[Greg]

Finally saw Chronicle and wow, just fucking wow. Far deeper and more realistic than I thought it would be. Best SF film I've seen in a while.

It was really good? When I saw the adverts, all I could think was that it would be a darker version of "Zoom", and I was just not interested.

Do you really need to be a comic book film lover to appreciate it? Or, are the story, premise and effects solid enough to impress beyond the "super power" stuff?

[Jerjo]

My wife is not a fan of comic book movies and she liked it. It's all "found footage", which I normally hate but they do a pretty decent job with it.

[JIF]

It was really good? When I saw the adverts, all I could think was that it would be a darker version of "Zoom", and I was just not interested.

Do you really need to be a comic book film lover to appreciate it? Or, are the story, premise and effects solid enough to impress beyond the "super power" stuff?When you say Zoom, do you mean the superhero movie with Tim Allen?

[Greg]

When you say Zoom, do you mean the superhero movie with Tim Allen?

Yeah :D

[nycsteve]

Just finished reading "The Searchers : The Making Of An American Legend " by Glenn Frankel. While it is about John Ford's 1956 film , The Searchers, it spends 3/4s of its pages talking about the story / legend that inspired the film. In the 1800's in the West the war between white settlers and the indigenous native Americans was a brutal bloody affair. Massacares by both sides, kidnapping, rape, it was a fight to the death,with a basically predetermined outcome. The film is about the kidnapping of a young child by Commanche indians, her assimilation into the tribe, and the relentless multi year search for her by her flawed uncle. This was based in the true story of the abduction of Cynthia Ann Parker and the 16 year search for her by her uncle James Parker. The story so captured the imaginations of the people of the time( one of many abductions ) that it spawned plays ,an opera, many books , influenced Texas politics up to the goveners position,and of course, eventually the John Wayne film. The backstory of the book is well researched and I found it facinating. Im not a history buff ,but have a list of further books about the period on my list.
About the film, for those who havnt seen it, do so. The best Wayne role by far. The best western ever, I think. One of director Fords most visually beautiful films and he was one of the best in this regard. Even when I saw this first as a kid, while I didnt fully understand all the concepts, I knew I was watching something out of the ordinary. It explores obsession, race hatred, forbidden love, family loyalty to great effect. Wayne is not the Wayne he is stereotyped as. He effectly portrays a vicious obsessed vengful killer,incredable performance.This is a film about so much more than the actual story,fantastic film making.
Im looking forward to another view of the film,tonight, with the added perspective provided by a very wonderful book.

[Big Ears]

^ One of my favourite John Ford films is My Darling Clementine, about the shootout at the OK Corral (although the character of Clementine is fictional). I saw a TV programme, some years ago, in which Lindsey Anderson analysed the film scene by scene. Although considered by some to be a dark tale, Anderson refuted the entire notion. It is also said to be Sam Peckinpah's favourite western. I particularly like the scenes with the passing theatre show, featuring Alan Mowbray as Granville Thorndyke. There are all sorts of little hidden references, for example to Shakespeare. Sadly, the film was cut and the missing scenes are lost. If you like The Searchers, I can recommend Clementine.

[philsunset]

I recently watched The Searchers for the first time. It is a great film, one that I will return to, I'm sure, a number of times. As I was watching, the actor who played Mose seemed very familiar. Being a big Twin Peaks fan it was cool to learn that the actor's (Hank Worden) last role was as the old waiter who found Agent Cooper after he'd been shot. I guess Lynch was a The Searchers fan. Anyway, The Searchers is tremendous. My to-watch pile includes Stagecoach and The Iron Horse, the silent western from 1924, Ford's first masterpiece.

[Scott Bails]

I saw Oblivion last week - the new Tom Cruise/Morgan Freeman movie.

I had free tickets to a pre-screening in IMAX.

Excellent film to see in IMAX format. It's a very big, epic-type of movie. The plot was rather thin, and borrows heavily from other sci-fi films (The Matrix, Moon, WALL-E, etc.), but overall, I found it to be entertaining. Visually, it gets an 11 out of 10. Otherwise, I'd give it a 6.5. If you're interested and have the opportunity to see it in IMAX, I recommend it.

[JIF]

I saw Oblivion last week - the new Tom Cruise/Morgan Freeman movie.

I had free tickets to a pre-screening in IMAX.

Excellent film to see in IMAX format. It's a very big, epic-type of movie. The plot was rather thin, and borrows heavily from other sci-fi films (The Matrix, Moon, WALL-E, etc.), but overall, I found it to be entertaining. Visually, it gets an 11 out of 10. Otherwise, I'd give it a 6.5. If you're interested and have the opportunity to see it in IMAX, I recommend it.Thanks for the review, Scott. I haven't been in to seeing a Tom movie for a while since he's done so many bombs.

[SteveSly]

I saw Oblivion last week - the new Tom Cruise/Morgan Freeman movie.

I had free tickets to a pre-screening in IMAX.

Excellent film to see in IMAX format. It's a very big, epic-type of movie. The plot was rather thin, and borrows heavily from other sci-fi films (The Matrix, Moon, WALL-E, etc.), but overall, I found it to be entertaining. Visually, it gets an 11 out of 10. Otherwise, I'd give it a 6.5. If you're interested and have the opportunity to see it in IMAX, I recommend it.

Took my dad to see it in IMAX today and agree, it is a great IMAX movie. I would probably give it a bit higher review than you, but yea, it pretty much takes every sci fi cliché and puts them into one movie. It is like the filmmakers took the best stuff from a bunch of classic sci fi flicks and stuck it into one move (Star Wars, Close Encounters, 2001 Space Oddity, Matrix, Independence Day all come to mind.). Overall I enjoyed it a lot, and I would give it an 8 out of 10, but this is definitely one to see on the big screen.

Steve Sly

[nycsteve]

^ One of my favourite John Ford films is My Darling Clementine, about the shootout at the OK Corral (although the character of Clementine is fictional). I saw a TV programme, some years ago, in which Lindsey Anderson analysed the film scene by scene. Although considered by some to be a dark tale, Anderson refuted the entire notion. It is also said to be Sam Peckinpah's favourite western. I particularly like the scenes with the passing theatre show, featuring Alan Mowbray as Granville Thorndyke. There are all sorts of little hidden references, for example to Shakespeare. Sadly, the film was cut and the missing scenes are lost. If you like The Searchers, I can recommend Clementine.

Havnt seen MDC in a very long time. Think Im due. This might kick off a Ford Fest :) . Ford is an example of one of the few directors who's personality comes through and who's films are instantly recognisable as his work. The mechanics of his film laguage are beautiful. His philosophy was to show the story visually, not move the story along with heavy dialoge. The composition of his shots are often amazing, this visual flow smooth and graceful. His tricks are still copied by todays film makers. Theres movies ,then theres Movies. Being immersed in a Movie and appreciating its form is a pleasure.

[nosebone]

Just came back from Iron Man Three.

I loved IMI and really liked IMII, but I think they killed the franchise with this overblown train wreck.

Remember Spiderman 3? well that is The Godfather compared to IM3.

[Magnashine]

I stopped the remote on a Chinese movie last night. First comment I heard was, it does not look good to which I replied, let it start! After 10 minutes, there was no way I would jump to another channel as it was excellent. The movie was The flower of war which is about the Sino-Japanese war during the second world war. For sure it was violent but very touching.

[NogbadTheBad]

Just came back from Iron Man Three.

I loved IMI and really liked IMII, but I think they killed the franchise with this overblown train wreck.

Remember Spiderman 3? well that is The Godfather compared to IM3.
Oh my goodness, I had my fears, guess I'll wait for cable

[No Pride]

Just came back from Iron Man Three.

I loved IMI and really liked IMII, but I think they killed the franchise with this overblown train wreck.
I'm sorry to hear that, Chris. I thought the first Iron Man was great, but was pretty disappointed with the sequel. I'd been planning to see "III" in the theater, but if it's worse than "II," I might have to wait until it's on Netflix streaming.

[nosebone]

I'm sorry to hear that, Chris. I thought the first Iron Man was great, but was pretty disappointed with the sequel. I'd been planning to see "III" in the theater, but if it's worse than "II," I might have to wait until it's on Netflix streaming.

IM2 is a masterpiece compared to IM3, and I was also disappointed with IM2.

[NogbadTheBad]

It's getting pretty positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

[nosebone]

Same on IMDB.

I duuno, it's sure has me scratching my head.

[Burley Wright]

I haven't been following this thread but when I found out about this I thought some of you might enjoy it.

Martin Scorcese giving the 2013 Jefferson Lecture

http://www.neh.gov/about/awards/jefferson-lecture/2013-jefferson-lecture-live-stream

[Scott Bails]

Just came back from Iron Man Three.

I loved IMI and really liked IMII, but I think they killed the franchise with this overblown train wreck.

Remember Spiderman 3? well that is The Godfather compared to IM3.

You're the first I've heard say this. As others have said, it's getting mostly positive reviews. I haven't seen it, and never really followed Iron Man in the comics, but from what I understand, many are upset at how they presented The Mandarin.

I have a hard time believing anything RDJ is involved in could be worse than Spiderman 3.

[nosebone]

You could here a pin drop when IM3 ended.

[JourneyAnderson]

I just love watching movies.

[nycsteve]

Just watched Guilt Trip with Seth Rogen and Barbra Striesand . Involves a road trip with Mom and self discovery etc etc. Low key, adult and enjoyable. Funny but not hilarious, there's worst ways to spend a couple of hours. 7 out of 10

[Paulie]

My friend walked out on IM3. And he's pretty easy to please (he's an Adam Sandler fan if that gives you any indication)! :lol

[izz_brian]

Finally saw Chronicle and wow, just fucking wow. Far deeper and more realistic than I thought it would be. Best SF film I've seen in a while.

It's like a smaller, more intimate live-action Akira, no? I thought it was very well done, especially on a (for Hollywood) shoestring budget.

[Rogue Mail]

Star Trek - Into Darkness. (Mild spoilers ahead)

I liked it.

It looks great, effects are very good, some great, huge action sequences...though maybe a little overdone in places, with a few too many explosions, chases and race-against-time cliches.

Cumberbatch is very, very good - he has great screen presence as the villain.

It was also good to see characters like Scotty and Chekhov given a little more to do, though somehow other characters like Spock, Uhura and Bones seemed less impressive this time round.

The climax of the movie tries a little too hard to please the fanboys, and shamelessly copies the events of one of the older movies.

That said, I liked how it set the scene for the next movie, with the 5 year mission starting...and next time around it would be good to see the movies go out into space properly and be less earthbound, bringing it closer to the spirit of the tv series.

[Banquo]

Just got back from IM3. We intended to go see 42, but some of the shit I've been reading has me thinking that I'll wait for the DVD from Redbox, that is if Redbox is still here in 3 months.

First of all, the previews and trailers had me exhausted waiting for the feature. I finished off 1/3 of a large popcorn before the damn thing even started. Plus, they're showing commercials for TV shows now and that's just wrong.
I can sorta see where nosebone is disappointed. The plot could've taken a whole different direction, especially with regards to the Mandarin character. But hey, it's a comic book movie and I thought Ben Kingsley was genius.
It was a bit too long, and the list of credits was the longest I've ever seen, but we waited it out because there's always a surprise at the bottom of the box. ;)

[JIF]

I watched Life Of Pi with my parents last night, and it was pretty good.

[Scott Bails]

Have you read the book, JIF?

[JIF]

Have you read the book, JIF?No. I don't like to read. I'm more of a visual person.

[mozo-pg]

Just happened to flip on to One Flew Over a Cukoo's Nest. Spellbinding. I've seen it many times, including at a play in NYC, but it's really a timeless movie. Jack at his finest with a formidable supporting cast, including one of the greatest villians, Nurse Rachet.

[Lou]

In honor of Mother's Day, I watched the remake of Mother's Day. Not a bad horror flick.

[nycsteve]

Watched Jack Reacher. Really not bad for a Tom Cruise flick. Not overblown with explosions, the bad guys are pretty evil, Cruises charactor interesting. Never read aNY of the books but I can see how the formula is so popular. 7 of 10.

[nycsteve]

Speaking of Cruise , caught Collateral on cable, with Cruise as the bad guy, and Jamie Fox as the victim/good guy. Cruise plays a compelling sociopathic hitman. Its visually arresting, moves quickly, I like it. Real changeup for TC , dont think it made alot of money but its a good flick. 8/10.

[mozo-pg]

Speaking of Cruise , caught Collateral on cable, with Cruise as the bad guy, and Jamie Fox as the victim/good guy. Cruise plays a compelling sociopathic hitman. Its visually arresting, moves quickly, I like it. Real changeup for TC , dont think it made alot of money but its a good flick. 8/10.

I really liked this one too, agree with 8/10.

[Scott Bails]

Watched Jack Reacher. Really not bad for a Tom Cruise flick. Not overblown with explosions, the bad guys are pretty evil, Cruises charactor interesting. Never read aNY of the books but I can see how the formula is so popular. 7 of 10.

This was surprisingly good, I thought. I've read a couple of the books and really enjoy them, so I was rather skeptical of a movie featuring Tom Cruise in the lead role. To be clear, I like Cruise as an actor, as much as I think he's a whack-a-doo in "real life," but he just seemed as an odd casting in the role.

And I expected the movie to be more of an action/thriller/shoot-em-up kinda thing, but it actually had more of a story than I though it it would. I agree with the 7/10. :up


Speaking of Cruise , caught Collateral on cable, with Cruise as the bad guy, and Jamie Fox as the victim/good guy. Cruise plays a compelling sociopathic hitman. Its visually arresting, moves quickly, I like it. Real changeup for TC , dont think it made alot of money but its a good flick. 8/10.

I've been meaning to catch this for a while, as Cruise, to me, is totally believable as a sociopathic hitman. ;)

[NogbadTheBad]

Just watched Django Unchained, enjoyed it a lot, I don't mind Tarantino gore fests but this was more just excessive blood splatter. Thought Jamie Foxx was good and Christoph Waltz was excellent. Basically silly but fun. Were the Australians added just to let Tarantino do a silly accent?

[nosebone]

Watched Jack Reacher. Really not bad for a Tom Cruise flick. Not overblown with explosions, the bad guys are pretty evil, Cruises charactor interesting. Never read aNY of the books but I can see how the formula is so popular. 7 of 10.

I watched it last night on Vudu.
Not bad , I liked it more than Ghost Protocol, the last TC flick I saw.

[SteveSly]

Anyone here see “The Master” from last year. We rented it last night and although the acting was fantastic (it got 3 Oscar nominations), the story just kind of dragged and dragged. Not sure what the point of it all was in the end.

Steve Sly

[No Pride]

I watched Life Of Pi with my parents last night, and it was pretty good.


Have you read the book, JIF?


No. I don't like to read.
If you had to be on airplanes as much as me, you might learn to enjoy reading, JIF. I can't stand watching movies on those tiny screens they have in most planes and books make long flights bearable.

Anyway, I DID read "Life of Pi" about 6 years ago and loved it! I thought it would make a great movie, but after 5 years, I'd given up hope that it would ever happen and then... it DID happen! I've seen it twice now; once in the theater (in 3D, of course!) and once on Vudu at home. I think it's one of the best film adaptations of a book I've ever seen. They covered just about all of the more important points of the book, some of which I was afraid they were going to leave out. The only thing they did leave out regretfully, was when Pi's mentors from the three religions he was studying all met each other, none of them knowing Pi was involved in the respective other religions. But it's an insignificant nitpick; overall, I thought it was great!

[nycsteve]

Originally Posted by JIF
I watched Life Of Pi with my parents last night, and it was pretty good.
Originally Posted by Scott Bails
Have you read the book, JIF?
Originally Posted by JIF
No. I don't like to read.


I've always loved reading and unfortunatly as I get older I find it harder and harder to muster the will and disipline to start and maintain a book. I guess Im loosing focus with age, its also affected my movie watching, no attention span there at times either. Im fine with short hits like articles in the daily paper but committing to 300 pages, not so easy anymore. Bummer, its not by choice.

[philsunset]

This morning I watched J'Accuse. From 1919, this great film was probably the first anti-war. Directed by one of the top two or three film masters, Abel Gance. Highest recommendation along with Gance's next, La Roue. Any other silent film fans out there?

[Big Ears]

Bloodwork (US 2002) with Clint Eastwood and Jeff somebody or other. After carefully cultivating an all-American boy image, Eastwood is unconvincing in his latter day seedy roles, but they are enjoyable nevertheless. Some of the dialogue in this film is quite amusing, especially when a colleague calls Eastwood's ageing cop character, 'pops'.

[JIF]

Bloodwork (US 2002) with Clint Eastwood and Jeff somebody or other. After carefully cultivating an all-American boy image, Eastwood is unconvincing in his latter day seedy roles, but they are enjoyable nevertheless. Some of the dialogue in this film is quite amusing, especially when a colleague calls Eastwood's ageing cop character, 'pops'.Please tell me you were joking and didn't forget the name Jeff Daniels.

[philsunset]

Bloodwork wasn't very good at all. Jeff Daniels owns a theatre just down the road from here.

[Big Ears]

I did forget and it wasn't a criticism of Jeff Daniels, he is very good in the film. Although the later Eastwood films are often criticised, I like them. Eastwood did not direct Bloodwork, but his influence shows, with little touches here and there of Don Siegel. Agreed, the role of the girl and the dialogue are poor, but I have forgotten the last Hollywood film I watched for a sharp script. It was probably Bringing Up Baby!

[Big Ears]

Correction. Eastwood did direct Blood Work. I've also just remembered Anjelica Huston is not good as the heart surgeon.

[philsunset]

Breaking Glass (the uncut Brit version). Haven't watched it in a while. Fun to revisit.

[Scott Bails]

Pretty comprehensive article about Marvel's future plans for their various franchises. (http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/marvel-phase-three-robert-downey-jr-less-iron-180532248.html)

[Jerjo]

Hilarious take-down of the new Star Trek movie. Massive spoilers if you haven't seen the movie.

http://io9.com/star-trek-into-darkness-the-spoiler-faq-508927844

[nosebone]

:lol I should write one on Ironman 3, another movie with dozens of glaring flaws.

[Jerjo]

Do it - there's a thread on Metafilter right now tearing up Into Darkness and many are saying Iron Man 3 is just as bad.

[nycsteve]

Finally viewed Silver Lining Playbook. Its very good. Adult storyline, well acted, good story which was not 100% predictable,always a good thing. Deniro is very good. Cris Tucker unseen or at least low profile since the Rush Hour movies has a nice turn in a supporting role. Kept me engaged from start to finish. I'll give it 9 of 10.
Oh, by saying adult storyline I refer not to nudity and sex but a story about adults for adults. While fun at times, comic book movies and big budget blow em ups , action movies with ridiculously impossible in real life action are not adult movies. While these can be fun, a steady diet of pubesent drama is tiring and mind numbing. Horaay for movies like this!

[Scott Bails]

Oh, by saying adult storyline I refer not to nudity and sex but a story about adults for adults.

Damn! :mad




:p

[Joe F.]

Bloodwork (US 2002) with Clint Eastwood and Jeff somebody or other. After carefully cultivating an all-American boy image, Eastwood is unconvincing in his latter day seedy roles, but they are enjoyable nevertheless. Some of the dialogue in this film is quite amusing, especially when a colleague calls Eastwood's ageing cop character, 'pops'.

Eastwood has an all-American boy image? Who knew? ;)

[No Pride]

Finally viewed Silver Lining Playbook. Its very good. Adult storyline, well acted, good story which was not 100% predictable,always a good thing. Deniro is very good. Cris Tucker unseen or at least low profile since the Rush Hour movies has a nice turn in a supporting role. Kept me engaged from start to finish. I'll give it 9 of 10.
Oh, by saying adult storyline I refer not to nudity and sex but a story about adults for adults. While fun at times, comic book movies and big budget blow em ups , action movies with ridiculously impossible in real life action are not adult movies. While these can be fun, a steady diet of pubesent drama is tiring and mind numbing. Horaay for movies like this!
I liked Silver Lining Playbook too! The message I got from it is that we're all crazy to varying degrees, but with love and support, we can manage. Maybe that's an oversimplification, but something like that.

As far as the comic book hero and CGI showcase action movies, I wouldn't necessarily say they're not for adults; we like eye candy and fantasy too (and not just of a sexual nature). But I wouldn't want a steady diet of it either. It's good to mix it up with more realistic movies about believable characters with real conflicts/resolutions, especially if there's a bit of humor involved.

Speaking of humor, for me, the most enjoyable and funny movies are the so called "family" animation films like the ones Pixar makes. I'm not saying I don't like outrageous/gross-out/nasty comedies like "The Hangover" series, but given a choice, I get more mileage from something like "Ratatouille" or "Monsters vs. Aliens" than today's typical "adult" comedies. As always, ymmv.

[Scott Bails]

I always thought Ratatouille was severely under-rated.

[Klonk]

Speaking of humor, for me, the most enjoyable and funny movies are the so called "family" animation films like the ones Pixar makes. I'm not saying I don't like outrageous/gross-out/nasty comedies like "The Hangover" series, but given a choice, I get more mileage from something like "Ratatouille" or "Monsters vs. Aliens" than today's typical "adult" comedies. As always, ymmv.

I totally agree. I've had some great laughs with the neices watching 'How to Train Your Dragon', all the 'Toy Story' movies as well as 'Shrek', 'Despicable Me', the recent 'Brave' etc. These are great fun because while the kids have plenty to enjoy, they're loaded with adult humor as well. :up

[No Pride]

I always thought Ratatouille was severely under-rated.
I don't know if a film that won an Oscar and is in IMDb's "top 250" list can qualify as "severely under-rated," but I do know that it's on my short list of movies you can watch more than twice. I've never seen a Pixar film that I didn't like, but "Ratatouille" is at the top of the heap imo.


I've had some great laughs with the neices watching 'How to Train Your Dragon', all the 'Toy Story' movies as well as 'Shrek', 'Despicable Me', the recent 'Brave' etc. These are great fun because while the kids have plenty to enjoy, they're loaded with adult humor as well. :up
Seen and loved them all! Toy Story and Shrek's sequels were all on a par with the originals; how many movie franchises can you say that about?!

[Scott Bails]

I don't know if a film that won an Oscar and is in IMDb's "top 250" list can qualify as "severely under-rated," but I do know that it's on my short list of movies you can watch more than twice. I've never seen a Pixar film that I didn't like, but "Ratatouille" is at the top of the heap imo.



Yeah, I know what you're saying, but it never seems to make any of the "lists" when people list their favorite Disney/Pixar films.

And I totally agree about the Toy Story sequels. Quite an achievement.

[JIF]

Yeah, I know what you're saying, but it never seems to make any of the "lists" when people list their favorite Disney/Pixar films.

And I totally agree about the Toy Story sequels. Quite an achievement.Patton Oswald sure is funny.

[nycsteve]

Patton Oswald sure is funny.

I find Oswald hilarious. When he's trying to be. On the other hand have you seen either Big Fan or Young Adult with Oswald? Young Adult, especially is not played for laughs. YA co stars Charlize Theron, and is a great film. Dark and a bit disturbing. I found it fasinating.
Big Fan is also very good. And somewhat dark. And disturbing.Oswald is effective at both ends of the spectrum.

[JIF]

I find Oswald hilarious. When he's trying to be. On the other hand have you seen either Big Fan or Young Adult with Oswald? Young Adult, especially is not played for laughs. YA co stars Charlize Theron, and is a great film. Dark and a bit disturbing. I found it fasinating.
Big Fan is also very good. And somewhat dark. And disturbing.Oswald is effective at both ends of the spectrum.I did see Young Adult with my mom and step-dad. I liked it, but they didn't.

[Jerjo]

Big fan of the film Young Adult. Patton Oswald did a fine turn in the series Justified this season as a small town constable who gets mixed up in the bigger plot of the season. The guy has serious dramatic chops.

[nycsteve]

Oswald also had a reoccurring role in the HBO series Bored To Death as a security /spy device seller. Funny as were many of the charactors on that show.
Never saw Justified. Overall its good? Cable show or network? Worth getting on DVD? I miss almost all series during thier original runs, catch some on DVD collections. Dont have the time or disipline to watch them when they come out.

[Jerjo]

Justified is a drama series on FX about a US Marshall who returns to rural Kentucky after he guns down a nasty in Miami. Great acting and twisted writing. I've watched seasons one and four but best to watch in order.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justified_(TV_series)

[philsunset]

Just watched The Killing (1956), the great film noir directed by Stanley Kubrick. In glorious B&W it looks great on bluray. This one's always fun to watch.

[No Pride]

I saw This Is 40 last night. As you might know, it's sort of a sequel to "Knocked Up"... "sort of" because the supporting characters from that one are the lead characters in this, and the lead characters from KU are nowhere to be found.

It has Judd Apatow's trademark raunchy comedy (no surprise) and though there are some pretty funny moments, it's such a brutally honest film about the inherent problems of marriage and family that I found it to be more disturbing than comedic. If you're feeling pretty secure about your marriage (or long term relationship), kids and in-laws, you might be able to just laugh about the subject matter; if not, enter at your own risk!

[Firth]

1849

[Progatron]

High hopes for this one? I can't say for sure yet.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwZNypYmPFE

[NogbadTheBad]

Just saw Now You See Me, not very deep but a fun magician caper movie with a few obvious twists & turns. I enjoyed it.

What was more enjoyable was that we watched it at our local Cinema Du Lux that for an extra $12 per tickets lets you watch the movie in a separate area with big comfy chairs, waitress service, pretty good food and alcohol. Had a Philly Steak pizza and two pints of Sam's Summer in an area with no noisy kids or adults. Really enjoyable.

[hippypants]

Life of Pi--enjoyed it, nice cinematography

Skyfall--James Bond, nice action film

TCM had a some good westerns showing last night directed by Anthony Mann: I'd seen The Far Country before, but worth the re-watch (good scenery), and I'd not seen Winchester '73 before, and it was very good. I'd seen the Devil's Doorway before as well, but worth re-watching-- if you're a western fan, it's well worth watching. Due to the interest in Devil's Doorway, James Stewart wanted to work with him on Winchester '73, and invested himself into that role, making quite a few bucks. They also showed Cimmaron (1960) with Glenn Ford, which I didn't get to finish due to it being so late, but I'll have to finish it at a later date, but from what I did watch, it was entertaining as well.

Rise From the Planet of the Apes--pretty good SF sequel if you enjoyed the ape flicks.

[Paulie]

What was more enjoyable was that we watched it at our local Cinema Du Lux that for an extra $12 per tickets lets you watch the movie in a separate area with big comfy chairs, waitress service, pretty good food and alcohol. Had a Philly Steak pizza and two pints of Sam's Summer in an area with no noisy kids or adults. Really enjoyable.I've done this since Cloverfield's theatrical open (01.08.08...Cloverfield fans will know the significance of that date :D), and cannot go back to regular seating. Ever. Problem is, you need to pick and choose your movies with care as it can get expensive, especially with a date in tow.

[No Pride]

Cloverfield

I thought there was supposed to be a sequel; what ever happened to that?

[No Pride]

Life of Pi--enjoyed it, nice cinematography

I've praised that one a few times around here. I loved the book when I read it 5 or 6 years ago and the film did it justice, which doesn't happen very often. Looked great in 3D too! I watched it a second time with my girlfriend, though I had to twist her arm to get her to watch it. She was skeptical of "a movie about a guy on a boat with a tiger," but of course, it's about much more than that. She ended up liking it... and I ended up gloating about that. :)

[Paulie]

RE: Cloverfield: I would love to see a sequel, and J.J. Abrams has hinted that it will happen. A lot of folks were jumping to conclusions that Del Toro's forthcoming Pacific Rim was indeed the long awaited sequel to Cloverfield. Not the case. Tho, as giant monster flicks go, this looks fkn KILLER:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5guMumPFBag

Whoohoo!

[hippypants]

Pacific Rim looks like Big, over the top, fun. I would be fun to see in 3-D, can't wait.

I watched the doc: Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who. If you like the band you'd probably enjoy the doc. Lots of clips and inside the music info. I learned more about Roger Daltrey and was impressed.

[Klonk]

Saw Django Unchained the other night. It was fun, but way too long. If you like Tarentino and his nods to movies past, over the top gore, great cast and dark humor, you'll probably like it.

I'd give it a good 6 out of 10 whip scars. I'd give it an 8 if it wasn't as long.

[Progatron]

Saw Django Unchained the other night. It was fun, but way too long. If you like Tarentino and his nods to movies past, over the top gore, great cast and dark humor, you'll probably like it.

I'd give it a good 6 out of 10 whip scars. I'd give it an 8 if it wasn't as long.

It's good, I liked a lot of it but it noticeably suffered from the lack of Sally Menke's editing skills.

[Scott Bails]

Pacific Rim looks like Big, over the top, fun. I would be fun to see in 3-D, can't wait.


Pretty much my thoughts, too.

[Lou]

I thought there was supposed to be a sequel; what ever happened to that?

Doesn't look good. Check out the link...

http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3230464/prediction-cloverfield-2-will-never-happen/

[hippypants]

Dredd--SF remake? based on the British comic. Sly Stallone did the first one, which at least I could sit thru, but wasn't very good. I didn't care for this one at all and didn't finish it. Neither Dredd or Judge Anderson seemed to fit the part to me, which I always thought they were tough as nails type characters, plus the actress playing Anderson was pretty bad. Both seemed pretty soft, crappy story too. Meh.

[Greg]

Dredd--SF remake? ... Meh.

I've read that die-hard fans of the comic would be more appreciative of the remake as it is supposedly closer to the dark and violent style of the comic. But, I've never seen nor read the comic, so I have no clue.

I liked the campy Stallone version better, but that may just be because I saw it first. I felt the remake was Okay on it's own, but since I don't know the original story from the comic, it seemed completely unrelated, to me.


...the actress playing Anderson was pretty bad.

I kinda' liked Thirlby as a redhead, but yeah, she's not much of an actress.

[nycsteve]

Watched Oz The Great And Powerful last night. The plot is clever,its a prequel to the 1939 Wizard Of Oz movie, it weaves in referances to the original quite nicly. The look of the movie is also very good. Diseny threw alot of $$ at this one. Despite very promising strengths I thought the movie was not as good as it should have been. IMO the cast was lightweight , out of thier depth. Franco's lead was adequite but somehow flat. Mila Kunis was nice to look at and made up well , but her delivery in the later portion of the film lacked gravitas. Not a flop, just it could have been better given the ingrediants. 6 of 10 , could and should have been an 8-9.

[nycsteve]

Im a fan of the classic noir from the 40s and 50s. Also like neo-noir, LA Confidential being an excellent example. I found one I missed in Netflix, 1995s Devil In A Blue Dress. Doesnt quite reach the hieghts of LA Confidential ,but its pretty good. Had some name actors , Denzel Washington,Tom Sizmore, Don Cheadle, Jessica Beal? (Flashdance). Its staged well with a lush authentic look. They must have hired every 40s car for 3 states around. Street scences are full ,details rich. A predominitly black cast, mostly plotted in LA's black community. Denzel is a returned WWII serviceman involved finding a missing girl for a shady guy. Plenty of suspense, corruption, double cross, untrustworthy women,violent gangsters, in the flavor of the classic noir formula. 8 out of 10 for me, but I love this stuff. Well done movie.
Oh , another neo-noir favorite, Chinatown. John Huston was the sleazebucket to top all sleazebuckets in that one. Nicholson was no slouch either.

[JIF]

Im a fan of the classic noir from the 40s and 50s. Also like neo-noir, LA Confidential being an excellent example. I found one I missed in Netflix, 1995s Devil In A Blue Dress. Doesnt quite reach the hieghts of LA Confidential ,but its pretty good. Had some name actors , Denzel Washington,Tom Sizmore, Don Cheadle, Jessica Beal? (Flashdance). Its staged well with a lush authentic look. They must have hired every 40s car for 3 states around. Street scences are full ,details rich. A predominitly black cast, mostly plotted in LA's black community. Denzel is a returned WWII serviceman involved finding a missing girl for a shady guy. Plenty of suspense, corruption, double cross, untrustworthy women,violent gangsters, in the flavor of the classic noir formula. 8 out of 10 for me, but I love this stuff. Well done movie.
Oh , another neo-noir favorite, Chinatown. John Huston was the sleazebucket to top all sleazebuckets in that one. Nicholson was no slouch either.Jennifer Beals is the girl from Flashdance. Jessica Biel is married to Justin Timberlake.

[Greg]

Jessica Biel is married to Justin Timberlake.

Years ago I would've asked "why?". But, now that Timerlake has stopped his "singing career" and move to acting, I have actually found a certain level of appreciation for the fellow. Strangely enough, I think he's a pretty decent actor & comedian. Biel, on the other hand, is just really nice to look at from the rear.

[Greg]

Saw a film called "Machine Gun Preacher", last night. Not what I'd call award winning, and to some degree a bit heavy on self-promotion in a "Dog The Bounty Hunter" kinda' way, but the (true) story is actually quite moving, and there is enough Rambo-style action to make bearable the preachy Evangelical interludes.

It's about Sam Childer's work in Sudan, and his fight to protect Sudanese orphaned children against Joseph Kony's LRA.

[Scott Bails]

now that Timerlake has stopped his "singing career"

He just released a new album. I'm not a fan of his music, but to say that he's not a "singer" is rather silly.

[Greg]

He just released a new album.

A little disappointing.


to say that he's not a "singer" is rather silly.

Anyone can be "a singer"; he's just not a "good one"--quality "music" or no.

Christina Aguilera and Pink are both damned good "singers", despite their poor choices in musical output.

[Jerjo]

He only went back to singing because of a contractual obligation. I don't think we'll see another album from him for a while. And yeah, he's a decent actor. I liked him in Friends with Benefits and The Social Network.

[Scott Bails]

We'll have to disagree.

I find him to be extremely talented, if not my taste.

[Big Ears]

Years ago I would've asked "why?". But, now that Timerlake has stopped his "singing career" and move to acting, I have actually found a certain level of appreciation for the fellow. Strangely enough, I think he's a pretty decent actor & comedian. Biel, on the other hand, is just really nice to look at from the rear.

She's pretty good from most elevations.

[Big Ears]

Despicable Me. I do not know why, but I really love computer animated films.

[hippypants]

Yes, I like my share of noir too. I'll check out Devil in a Blue Dress, guess it went under my radar. I also liked: Drive (2011), Sunset Blvd., The Third Man, Hitchcock stuff, Pickup on South Street, Brute Force, Murder, My Sweet, The Maltese Falcon, Kiss of Death, and others.

[hippypants]

Watched Limitless the other day with Bradley Cooper about a writer with writer's block until he meets an ex-brother in law that offers him a drug that increases brain power. Really interesting film I thought that had a dark undertone and sort of edgy in a Fight Club-type way. Rec.

[nycsteve]

Yes, I like my share of noir too. I'll check out Devil in a Blue Dress, guess it went under my radar. I also liked: Drive (2011), Sunset Blvd., The Third Man, Hitchcock stuff, Pickup on South Street, Brute Force, Murder, My Sweet, The Maltese Falcon, Kiss of Death, and others.

All excellent films, only one I havnt seen is Drive. I have to think a bit and add to your list. Theres some great noir out there, not that well known as they wernt in heavy TV viewing rotation years back. But thanks to TCM and studios mining thier film vaults for DVD collections, they are now easier to see. One great one I missed as a kid is Out Of The Past with Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas. A real class act, if you havnt seen ,you should.
I especially like the 40s-50s noir that had location filming in city streets. Its history with entertainment. The Naked City is like a tour of the New York City of 60 years ago. The cars, the stores, billboards, peoples dress, I eat it up.