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Post by cucumberboy on Sept 17, 2010 16:33:08 GMT -5
The LookoutOk - we're talking seriously overlooked movie here. Think Memento light version without jambled up narrative, but with a main character that it's impossible not to feel for. Do seek this out. Hidden-gem-status? Rescue DawnThis one is definitely worth a watch and a film which reminded me why Christian Bale is one of my favourite actors in Hollywood today. It tells the story of a POW camp in the beginning of the Vietnam War, but with very few shots fired. It is oh so fascinating for anyone who enjoys psycological studies. And Bale. The Girl with the Dragon TattooI wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about this movie as everyone else seems to be. Lisbeth, yes, is an intriguing character but I'm not sure there enough in there that would actually make me describe her as 'interesting.' In place of any serious character exploration is a serviceable mystery whose thematic relevance is all too brief. Would it be too much to hope that an American remake could sharper than this? The fact they managed to get any sort of quality out of those books is beyond me, so I think an american version could improve on the material a lot! I say go for it. Also, I still don't know what forum karma is, but our resident medical doctor type person seems to have it up the wazoo.
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Dr Handsome
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...but you can call me Eric.
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Post by Dr Handsome on Sept 18, 2010 0:39:28 GMT -5
Thank you so much for reminding me of The Lookout! I was obsessed with Brick during high school (still am) and never got around to watching either of Joseph Gordon Levitt's 00's sleepers. It was just barely on the radar when it was released and has definitely fallen out of mind since.
So you read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? I'm interested in whether or not the novels are as sharp as people seem to suggest they are because I thought the movie often felt content to suggest themes instead of actually exploring them. Some of the graphic scenes end up feeling a little exploitative because there's not enough serious commentary to justify them. There's a fine movie in there somewhere and hopefully David Fincher's able to make it.
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Post by cucumberboy on Sept 18, 2010 6:47:51 GMT -5
Thank you so much for reminding me of The Lookout! I was obsessed with Brick during high school (still am) and never got around to watching either of Joseph Gordon Levitt's 00's sleepers. It was just barely on the radar when it was released and has definitely fallen out of mind since. So you read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? I'm interested in whether or not the novels are as sharp as people seem to suggest they are because I thought the movie often felt content to suggest themes instead of actually exploring them. Some of the graphic scenes end up feeling a little exploitative because there's not enough serious commentary to justify them. There's a fine movie in there somewhere and hopefully David Fincher's able to make it. No problemo. Happy to help. The flick was great. As far as the books go, they are really bad, but the most read books nowadays usually are. I'm not going to pretend I'm not a snob about books and I have very high standards when it comes to litterature. Unfair perhaps, but I couldn't finish the first book, because it was like a high schooler had written it. If the movie was translated into english they could probably improve a lot of the stale dialogue.
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Post by gtboozer on Sept 20, 2010 9:20:36 GMT -5
Rescue DawnThis one is definitely worth a watch and a film which reminded me why Christian Bale is one of my favourite actors in Hollywood today. It tells the story of a POW camp in the beginning of the Vietnam War, but with very few shots fired. It is oh so fascinating for anyone who enjoys psycological studies. And Bale. I really dug this one too. I saw it way after watching Little Dieter Needs to Fly, the doc that Herzog made which it's based on. I'm not sure which one I like better, but the doc had a lot of impact with the real guy going through the story and almost reenacting the events himself. A definite recommend.
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Dr Handsome
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Post by Dr Handsome on Sept 20, 2010 12:05:07 GMT -5
It could have been a compelling story (it has its moments) but I'm not certain the movie does enough to explore the themes it sets up. I regret using the term exploitative to describe the movies most explicit moments but they're ineffective on their own and the overall lack of thematic weight makes them basically worthless.
If the books (poorly written or not) go a little further into the themes of revenge and violence I think we can only hope that David Fincher is able to mirror that on screen. On the other hand, if the books themselves lack any real weight then, well, it's entirely up to him to give the film that polish.
The Asphalt Jungle I just watched it on my (relatively) small screen but the Film Forum is doing a series of heist movies all throughout October so I might actually get to see this movie in a theater! The standard heist movie follows a rigid setup/heist/consequence formula but it's neat to trace how the smaller variations (mostly character) make each one unique. On one hand I’d say the plot (much like in noir mysteries) is near inconsequential when compared to the characters and their motivations but, well, half the fun is usually seeing how they pull it all off in the second act which is... all plot.
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Post by gtboozer on Sept 27, 2010 11:21:35 GMT -5
I've been rewatching a lot of older flicks recently, mostly what I call "comfort food movies", so not much new to talk about. Except one...
How Much Do You Love Me? - It was a odd little French slapstick type romantic comedy-ish film. There were several "laugh-out-loud" moments for me, but in that sort of cartoony way. It's odd to see such a slapstick type film that was also so damn sexy. Mostly because Monica Bellucci can't help but be mind blowingly sexy. And in all honesty, it would be very difficult to spoil the ending because I'm still not sure exactly what happened. It just gets more and more crazy and I couldn't tell how much time had elapsed or if I should even care. It was a decent film, nothing great, and I can't really recommend rushing out to see it, but an enjoyable film with lots of Ms. Bellucci's naughty bits.
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Post by gtboozer on Sept 28, 2010 9:05:42 GMT -5
After my exhausting weekend of moving across town, last night was a perfect night of a movie. I have finally settled everything in and hooked up the surround sound and everything. So after wrapping up a few other things, I kicked back on the couch with a glass of bourbon and watched Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress . He is one of my favorite directors, and for some reason I've just never watched that one. It's another one where he employs another one of my favorites, Toshiro Mifune. Anything with those two involved can't miss. I don't really want to go into details about it, it was just a great great film. I may need to do a miniature Kurosawa marathon this weekend because of this one. While he is one of my favorite directors, there are still several I haven't seen. Dreams, for example, is one that I've been meaning to catch.
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Dr Handsome
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Post by Dr Handsome on Sept 28, 2010 22:59:48 GMT -5
So I saw John Hodgman film his HBO pilot. I don't know if I'm playing to the right crowd here (he's got comedy ties, right?) but it was a great deal of fun. It wasn't quite the lecture I expected; we were basically the audience for John Hodgman's half-hour spec pilot. Jonathan Coulton sang some nerd tunes and Sarah Vowell mentioned the assassination of a president and... I made Spike Jonze laugh!
I can cross "be photographed by Spike Jonze parentheses also make him laugh" off my bucket list. Yes, my bucket list is very specific.
I started watching the complete works of Francois Truffaut's a few months back and it killed me to know that once I'd watched Confidentially Yours that was it, no more. That's not to say I won't (and don't) revisit his movies often but watching one of his films for the first time, it's always exciting. How many Kurosawa films do you have left?
Blue Dhalia It has it's charms but overall it's just ain't my favorite noir. Still, film noir is one of those genres whose films I sometimes end up liking despite their flaws, simply because they evoke a mood and have a world and are filmed in a way that I like.
Did I mention that John Hodgman, Sarah Vowell and a team of Larpers played a game of football against Jets center Nick Mangold?
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Post by siege121 on Sept 28, 2010 23:33:44 GMT -5
I recently saw Chungking Express for the first time and thought it was great. I saw this a few days after seeing then buying In The Mood For Love and am excited to see more films by Wong Kar-Wai.
I also saw ODDSAC which is an experimental film by the band Animal Collective. I had never heard of them going into the film and ended up enjoying some of their stuff. Not normally my type of movie or music but I enjoyed it as a whole.
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Post by gtboozer on Sept 30, 2010 9:32:29 GMT -5
Sounds like you had a lot of fun Doc, I totally get the Spike Jonze bucket list. Being an extra in any of my favorite directors flicks has been on mine for a while.
Kurosawa is one of those directors who has so many films in the book that I don't think I'll ever make it a point to watch them all. Ikiru and Dreams stand out right now. I think I've seen all of his samurai era stuff, I still need to catch up on some of his more contemporary stuff.
Siege - Wong Kar-Wai is one of my favorites. Especially the two films you mentioned(which were also the first of his I saw) really caught me off guard with their simply beautiful cinematography. I'm not sure about his more recent film Ashes of Time, I'm still waiting to see it, it just doesn't seem like his kind of film. Although, he is one of those directors that I will see anything he does, and probably enjoy it. 2046 is another one of his I really enjoyed.
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Post by Tyler Smith on Oct 1, 2010 1:55:38 GMT -5
Just saw The Town. It's not a perfect film (the dialogue specifically is a little clunky when it comes to characters' back stories), but it had some great acting and solid characters. Plus, Ben Affleck has really come into his own and declared himself as a very capable director. I'd say, by and large, I'd recommend it.
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Dr Handsome
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...but you can call me Eric.
Posts: 240
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Post by Dr Handsome on Oct 2, 2010 14:57:56 GMT -5
Chungking Express Does anyone know if the new 'Criterion' edition is any different than Tarantino's 'Rolling Thunder' release? It floored me back in high school and I've actually been eager to revisit it!
Onibaba I actually enjoyed the final stretches of this movie but not enough that it made up for the sluggish first half. I can see where you wouldn't want to use the term 'horror' but it is pretty unsettling. I did love the infrequent bits of soundtrack.
Too many movies, I might just have to catch The Town on DVD.
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Post by maarow on Oct 2, 2010 23:38:36 GMT -5
The Exorcist - I saw this on its one-day theatrical release, I think for the first time since I was in high school. Whether you're a horror fan or not you have to admit this is a virtuoso piece of filmmaking. There are so many details and little moments that bind the outlandish supernatural set pieces together and make a cohesive whole out of a film that could have been merely sensationalistic and empty.
Love in the Afternoon - Entertaining, and that's about it. Maurice Chevalier was brilliant in a character role as a private investigator in Paris who documents cases of potential infidelity. The script was relatively uninspired by Billy Wilder standards, but the bigger problem was the two leads. Gary Cooper I've always found to be dependable at best, but somewhat bland; he's good as a square-jawed straight-laced cowboy hero, but as a millionaire American playboy he just isn't convincingly charming. I also find Audrey Hepburn's screen persona to be rather two-dimensional and neither one of those dimensions is of great interest to me. Put them together and you have a romance devoid of chemistry.
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Post by gtboozer on Oct 4, 2010 12:35:10 GMT -5
Since we are in October now, I'm in full swing horror movie mode. I know Doc has laid out a more scheduled version of this, I just watch what seems appealing at the time and don't plan much.
I recently ran across George Romero's latest zombie installment, Survival of the Dead. I have been defending some of his more recent "of the Dead" flicks as still being good. I really liked "Land" and actually found some appreciation for "Diary", but this one just felt really pedestrian. I suppose if I tried to pull some kind of social commentary out of it I could, but it would really be reaching. I'm not sure why Romero thinks he needs to keep making up stuff that zombies can do now. Previously they started thinking and organizing strategies, which for some reason I'm on board with, but now there is some zombie chick riding around on a horse. Next, Romero will just say, "Sure, zombies can carry on a conversation. They are people too". I'm not a zombie purist or anything, but there are certain rules to classic horror creatures. The same rule goes for vampires sparkling in the sunlight. This is the one for me that finally made me quit giving Romero a pass on his zombie flicks, there are newer directors who are making better zombie movies than he is now, like Fido or American Zombie. It is okay as just a zombie flick with friends and drinks, but that's about it.
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Post by Tyler Smith on Oct 5, 2010 4:02:04 GMT -5
I really liked "Land" and actually found some appreciation for "Diary", but this one just felt really pedestrian. I suppose if I tried to pull some kind of social commentary out of it I could, but it would really be reaching. I'm not sure why Romero thinks he needs to keep making up stuff that zombies can do now. Previously they started thinking and organizing strategies, which for some reason I'm on board with, but now there is some zombie chick riding around on a horse. Next, Romero will just say, "Sure, zombies can carry on a conversation. They are people too". I'm not a zombie purist or anything, but there are certain rules to classic horror creatures. I really enjoyed Land of the Dead. Didn't see Diary of the Dead. My friend and I watched Survival and, though it pains me to say it, it wasn't very good. The special effects were pretty awful (cheap CG looks especially terrible), and the story was way too on the nose. I think that Romero has lost some of his subtlety as he's gotten older. All of his films have dealt with some sort of social issue, but it used to be hidden surprisingly well. These days, he just comes right out and says it. Oh, and it wasn't scary at all. Such is the problem when directors become preoccupied with making zombie deaths either "funny" or "awesome."
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Post by siege121 on Oct 7, 2010 23:40:39 GMT -5
I just watch Orson Welles' The Trial and I loved it. I can finally say that I liked an Orson Welles film.
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Post by Jillian S on Oct 8, 2010 13:20:52 GMT -5
I watched Swing Kids last night. I own every Bale movie, but I had never actually watched this one. Lately, I've become a bit of an accent snob. I think I'd rather have the cast all use poor German accents than a few American, a few English, and a few other random Euro nations (all in one family) hoping the audience will just overlook this. It would have made sense for the title group to use American accents as that would only further their obsession with the culture. Maybe I am just too picky? Otherwise, it was decent enough with a bit of overacting by many. It did give me an interest in researching the real life movement that inspired the film, so that's always a plus for me.
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Post by Tyler Smith on Oct 10, 2010 7:02:34 GMT -5
Saw a couple of movies this week that I'd been meaning to get around to for a long time. I watched Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven, and liked it a lot. I also watched Ingmar Bergman's Persona, which I thought was really interesting and well made, though not very personally satisfying.
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Post by snallygaster on Oct 10, 2010 8:37:41 GMT -5
Just watched "Amreeka"; it's a beautiful film. Read some of the reviews on IMDB and was disappointed. It seems to me that a lot of people get caught up in their preconceptions about what a film is supposed to be "about." Talk about missing the point. Anyway, highly recommended.
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Post by cucumberboy on Oct 12, 2010 16:56:30 GMT -5
The American
As soon as the credits started everybody in the theatre (about 25 people) let out a big "Ugh" - as in "that was a boring waste of time and I regret being here in the first place". Every single person who sat with me in the theatre seemed to hate it. They almost seemed disgusted.
I loved it. It took its time, and righteously so, and it had a really interesting take on the hitman story, and I personally thought the love story was great. Did anyone else see this?
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