The Last Movie You Saw...

[stridechicken]

I saw Troll 2 and Moon. Both were just as fantastic as I'd been led to believe they would be! I can't wait for Best Worst Movie to come out in some way that I can watch it here in Manchester, England. Also, Sam Rockwell looks great with a rich, full beard.

[siege121]

Jul 23, 2010 12:58:48 GMT -5 Dr Handsome said:

I'd add that Pin movie to my queue if it weren't full. Is it actually worth watching or was it just surprisingly strange?

I wouldn't call it good by any standards but I don't regret watching it. I guess the strangeness of the film made it interesting to watch but I wouldn't run out to go see it if I were you. On the other hand, if you find yourself home and in the mood to watch something meaningless and "fun" I would say go ahead and watch it.

I realized I never explained what the movie was about so here's the synopses from IMDB ( I cut out part of the last sentence as I feel it ruins it too much if anyone is actually interested):

A doctor has a lifelike, anatomically-correct medical dummy, with muscles and organs visible through its clear skin, named Pin (after Pinocchio). Via ventriloquism, Pin explains bodily functions in a way kids can relate to. When the over-strict doctor and his wife are killed in a car crash, his son (Leon) transfers his alter-ego into Pin, whom he always believed was alive. He starts using Pin as an excuse to over-protect his sister (Ursula) from admirers and deflect unwanted intrusions[...].

[Dr Handsome]

Huh. It seems like the type of movie that's best stumbled upon in the middle of the night with a group of friends and, well, it's pretty difficult to emulate that experience. That's not to say that great group movies don't exist, but throwing on a random movie so you and your friends can go all MST3K on it doesn't always work because sometimes a bad b-movie is just... bad.

I've been dog-sitting at a relatives house and taking advantage of their massive flat screen all week. Here's what I've been watching:

This Gun For Hire It's got just about all the iconography I've grown to love about film noir. I absolutely love how bizarre the finale is- the wheelchair, the pen guns, the gas masks.


Le Combat Dans l'Ile I'm willing to bet some of the political details of this movie were lost on me but as a romantic melodrama it's engaging. There's also some fantastic photography and a great cast.


Observe and Report This is one weird movie. It's not just jarringly dramatic- but occasionally graphic and somewhat disturbing and unpleasantly real. I could probably write pages about how strange this movie was.


The Lady Vanishes I envy Alfred Hitchcock's ease of execution.


Gun Crazy It's got memorable scene after memorable scene! What a fantastic piece of work this movie is.

[Tyler Smith]

I finally saw Fitzcarraldo and thought it was absolutely wonderful. Herzog may be crazy, but he has proven himself to be a surprisingly emotional director. Klaus Kinski, also reportedly crazy, delivers a performance that is joyful and exciting and vibrant. It's been a while since I was so profoundly immersed in a film.

[gtboozer]

I just got my first taste of French New Wave with Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot Le Fou. I was a bit intimidated to jump into that group of films, but I'm really glad that I finally did. This was similar to the way I felt when I got into Bergman, only different.

I can't really explain what I loved about the film so much, but I really loved it. Just the overall feeling I got from watching a film that was made by a director who fully understood film as art. I just let go and went where ever the film wanted me to go. I thought it was similar to many Almodovar films actually, who is one of my favorites.

I really enjoyed that one and can't wait to get into more of the films from that era.

[Dr Handsome]

Honestly, I haven't gotten around to watching Herzog, as much as I've heard about him. What films might you suggest for a first time watcher?

I can't say I felt the same way about Pierrot Le Fou. As much as I'd like to, I've just never seen what others see in Jean Luc Godard. I appreciate his place in history and even enjoy certain aspects of his films but what I've seen has ultimately left me cold. Also: welcome to the forums.

[gtboozer]

I really lover Herzog too. Just off the top of my head I would say that Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre are two must see films.

I would also suggest checking out his documentaries though. Encounters at the End of the World and Little Dieter Needs to Fly are great examples of how he brings a cinematic approach to docs and tells a story that you wouldn't expect.

[siege121]

Pierrot Le Fou was also my first taste of French New Wave and it remains one of my favorite films of all time. Godard seems to be someone whom I instinctively don't like but when I think about it I really just don't like people crowning him the greatest filmmaker of all time, like many people do. I would even go out on a limb and say overall he is not a great director. He had perhaps the greatest burst of inspiration and run of great movies starting out but after around 1970 what has he done that has been of even remote quality? He reminds me of Francis Ford Coppolla in that respect but even he has shown that he has a lot left in him with Tetro.

I just watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and thought it was genius. Even now I'm not quite sure if I feel pride or disgust for Robert Ford. What I do know is that it is one of the most beautifully shot films in recent memory, if not ever. Seeing this further cements my opinion that 2007 was the best year of the 00's.

[Dr Handsome]

The history and significance of his early films excites me more than the films themselves. The editorial Film Comment wrote in response to the 50th anniversary reissue of Breathless actually makes me wish I liked the movie more than I do.

I'm also willing to accept that I might not have the complete cinematic understanding required to fully appreciate each and every technical aspect of his movies. I'm not sure I'll ever look up to Breathless the way I do The 400 Blows but maybe the extras on the Criterion Collection disc might help me find some more hidden value in the movie.

Regarding The Assassination of Jesse James I couldn't agree more! The Assassination of Jesse James is severely underrated and yeah, absolutely gorgeous to look at. Casey Affleck's performance is just brilliant. Might need to find a way to watch it while I have this massive television at my disposal.

I also watched Encounters at the End of the World which was an absolute delight. There's pieces of the movie that seem like they wouldn't fit ("A chimpanzee could straddle a goat and ride off in the sunset!") but ultimately his eccentricity is what made this movie so wonderful. I can't wait to watch more!

I'm guessing Fitzcarraldo might be a good movie to watch on this big television? What would you folks consider some of the looking noir movies to watch on the mega TV?

[gtboozer]

I have to agree with you guys on Assassination, in my opinion it's one of the most underrated films of recent years. Probably because it was over shadowed by the big hitters from that year. It's difficult for my to pick out one performance because they were all great, but Affleck and Pitt did great.

My latest film was Almodovar's newest one Broken Embraces. I'll be the first to admit that because I love Almodovar so much I usually let more flaws slide than I should. Overall, it wasn't one of his better films, but for me even his lesser work is a 4 out of 5. He's one of the few directors working today who can pull off melodrama without coming off cheesy and over the top to the point of comedy. Broken Embraces, however, didn't seem to embrace that melodrama enough. It seemed almost like it was an excuse for Almodovar to spend more time with Penelope Cruz. Not bad, just not his best work.

[gtboozer]

I had a pretty eventful/uneventful weekend depending on how you view it. I know this is a movie forum, but I had a little Dr. Who marathon and finished the second season. This was the first season with David Tennant as the Doctor. It's one of those shows that I have been wanting to catch up with and never have. It's a lot of fun with corny effects, and I'm glad I'm on my way watching it now.

I also watched most of The Men Who Stare at Goats. It was really late and I was quite drunk, so I didn't finish that one. It was decent enough, I may finish it up this week. Bridges and Clooney were pretty good, like I said though, drunk and tired so it's a bit fuzzy.

[gtboozer]

Man, this is one of the slowest moving forums I've been to. We need to spread the word and get more folks over here.

I watch LOTS of movies, so I am coming by here almost every day when I see something good, and today is no different....

Last night I got two "WOW" movies in, that were completely different kinds of "WOW".

First off I finally watched the steamy turd called 2012. I'm not really going to go into a serious critical opinion of this movie, because it doesn't deserve to be taken seriously. And it's long as hell on top of being bad. By the time I finished it all I could think was, "WOW, that was fucking terrible"

After that I immediately had the urge to watch something good, so I had my personal introduction to Lars von Trier with Antichrist. I was really really impressed and absolutely loved it. Yes it is a bit "shocking", but there are far more disturbingly shocking films out there than this one. That is not what I loved about it though. It really is one of the most beautifully shot films I've seen, and on top of that the acting was great and perfectly fit with the story. Sometimes characters like this who are suffering from extreme depression and grief tend to get a bit... blah, just moping around not saying anything. These characters are forced to be pro-active in their depression and grief, which makes for more interesting acting opportunities. I can't say that I "get" every bit of the symbolism that von Trier was going for, but I couldn't help but see this film as a true work of art. And most art is not meant to be fully understood the same way by everyone who sees it. I really think this is a film that will be seen differently by different people, depending on their emotional place in life. I think if I were to wait 5-10 years and watch this again I'll get something different out of it. There are not many people I would recommend this one to, but I personally loved it.

So that is my pretentious look at the film world last night. I'm looking forward to hearing more from you guys.

[Dr Handsome]

I agree. We've got a seemingly pleasant group so far but we could still use a bit more chatter. Here's the last of the movies I watched on the Mega TV™. It's back home to Boring TV™ this afternoon:

Last Year at Marienbad
I found myself checking my watch way less than expected to. I've never been all to eager to explore avant-garde cinema (based on what I know about the genre and my tastes in movies) but I was surprised to find something worth watching here. There was something about the way it was shot that got me creatively excited. I'm not sure I fully understood the plot (or was supposed to) but it wasn't without emotion either.


In a Lonely Place
(Highlight for Spoilers)
Talk all you want about Dixon's pain, I can't see past the fact that he nearly killed an innocent man and in a way I felt like Nicholas Ray was expecting a stronger sense of remorse for the character than I actually felt. And Laurel's final quote "yesterday this would have meant so much to us" seems to condemn the police force or fate but she wouldn't have been half as suspicious of him if she hadn't watched him nearly smash a guys face in. Am I looking at it all wrong?

Ratatouille
Ratatouille may very well be my favorite Pixar movie even if I don't want to admit that I have a favorite. It's themes about passion and art may not be complicated but they're earned in a creative and honest way. I'm also a sucker for movies set on the romantic streets of Paris.


I'll be sure to put 2012 even farther down on my list than it already is. I may be remembering this wrong but didn't some people really hate Antichrist? I haven't watched it yet.

[cucumberboy]

Yeah I've been a bit lazy, and I'm sorry for that, but sometimes life just won't give you time to enjoy all the little gems of the interwebs. So let's all strive for a better community and a better tomorrow!

Last movie I watched was

Collateral Damage
Now, despite the fact that the twist at the end makes no sense at all (their plan was based entirely on chance?) the explosions were pretty cool. Buuuuut I didn't enjoy it that much. I think the fact that Arnold's character was just after revenge and had nothing to gain from going after the villain made it really difficult to care about him at all.

Also, when one does a movie where the bad guys are rebels or revolutionaries you have to make them more believable than this. A common problem in films where the villains are rebels is that their ideology makes no sense. I mean, as much as one may not agree with communists, they do have higher moral standards than "we hate liberty and freedom", which is essentially what is their viewpoint seems to be in this movie, and in many others. If the villains motivation is lackluster it's just as big of a problem as if the hero's motivation is.

And yes, a lot of people really disliked Antichrist. I didn't hate it, but it seems von Trier could need someone to step in and tell him he's not a genius and that some parts of the movie are indeed terrible. But overall it was pretty well-crafted although not enjoyable by any means.

[gtboozer]

Yeah, after checking out a few other film forums, there was a very love/hate reaction to Antichrist. After reading through tons of webernet arguments about it being misogynistic and what not, I'm glad I didn't know any of that going into it. I personally didn't think it was misogynistic, but I guess some people could see that if they go into the film looking for it. I had no prior knowledge of von Trier's tendencies, it was completely fresh and untainted when I saw it. That may be why I liked it so much.

[Dr Handsome]

I guess my comment was in response to you saying "after that I immediately had the urge to watch something good." Whenever I look at the cover in my instant queue my mind immediately turns to those volatile comments- the complete opposite of good. I guess they don't matter all that much cause you ended up enjoying it!

Fitzcarraldo
Forgot to mention that I watched this one earlier in the week. I normally take months or years to follow up on movie recommendations. I'm going to try and change that: from now on instead of "adding it to my queue" I'm going to "add it to the top of my queue." I'm not sure I was taken along for the ride like you seemed to be Tyler but it's still an astounding film. It was certainly worth it to see it on a massive flat screen and I'm probably more excited to watch Burden of Dreams.

[gtboozer]

Okay, I just finished The Red Shoes for the first time and I could not wait till tomorrow to post about it while I'm wasting time at work.

This film blew me away. I'll start by saying that I have been mildly interested in films about ballet for a little while now. There are some good documentaries that give a behind the scenes look that piqued my interest. That was what kept me interested up until the Red Shoes stage performance. That's when I really was taken into the film. So much so that I almost wanted to applaud when it was finished as well. They didn't just let the camera sit like I was in the audience either. I really was a great integration of a stage performance on film. The storytelling and acting were great too, I really hated the ballet owner by the end. It was one of those films that has a fairly long run time, but by the end didn't feel like it was long. I really loved it and I'm bummed that I found out about the Criterion Collection sale at Barnes & Noble too late, it's worth the full price though.

I'm so glad that Netflix has added so many Criterion films to the watch instant section, I'm in film geek heaven right now!

[Dr Handsome]

The 'Watch Instantly' selection got infinitely better once they started adding Criterion Collection titles.

Notorious
I have seen most of Alfred Hitchcock's more notable movies at some point or another but I've only recently begun digging into the early stuff. I've got a copy of Hitchcock by Francois Truffaut waiting to be read so I thought now might be the time to finally get into it. How much do I owe David for using that small sliver of his catchphrase?

Notorious was pretty awesome. Maybe I just haven't seen Hitchcock's at his worst but I feel like it's going to be hard to hate his movies because of the pure delight he takes in crafting even the slightest moments of suspense. I also found something strangely attractive about Ingrid Bergman's character; her mixture of confidence and imperfection seems kind of ahead of its time. I mean, the 40's had its share of confident women and certainly imperfect ones but... I don't know... this felt different. Cary Grant mostly does what he needs to in this movie but I think Claude Rains does pretty great.

[lennart]

I just saw what The Wikipedia accurately describes as a "supernatural action-horror film," Black Death. I'm curious if anyone else has seen it because I would like to hear someone else's take on exactly what this film was about. It starts off looking like a fairly formulaic medieval action film (not unlike a Kingdom of Heaven for instance) but later it turns and becomes nearly a polemic on faith and religion... the queerest part of the film is that by the end I'm not sure if it's endorsing religion or not, or even if a commentary on religion is what the film is attempting to be.
Overall I certainly felt entertained, and there were no major flaws that I saw in the performances or screenplay, so I would lean towards saying I liked it, but I'm not sure if the ambiguity I felt at the end was intended or a consequence of a misguided film or not. In any case I'd recommend it as a short (~100mins), and interesting, if confusing, film.

[siege121]

I just watched The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus last night. It was only ok. I really enjoy the enthusiasm and joy Gilliam has when making films but unfortunately some of the time it doesn't lead into a very clear and well thought out film. It certainly was a visual treat. I saw it in Blu-Ray and thought it was absolutely beautiful. It just lacked the heart that it desperately needed in order for the whole film to really come together.